Churchill manage to draw 1-1 against Shivajians

Churchill Brothers finally got some figure on the points table with a 1-1 draw against DSK Shivajians in an I-League encounter, here today.

Korean forward Kim Song Yong provided the lead to the Shivajians in the 21st minute but Adil Ahmed Khan restored parity four minutes from closing time.

Shivajians made no changes to the squad which won 2-0 against Chennai City FC at home last time whereas Alfred Fernandes made a couple of changes from a 0-2 loss at home to East Bengal in the last game week.

Churchill Brothers brought two midfield players in, Kyrgyzstan's Bektur Talgat Uulu and Under-22 player Chesterpoul Lyngdoh; as both sides played with a 4-4-2 formation.
 

The two teams enjoyed a hatful of good chances in the opening minutes as the match presented an end-to-end display of open attacking football. But Shivajians and Churchill failed to make their opportunities count, in front of goal -- as a desperate surge for the opener grew.

The goal came much to the delight of Shivajians as Churchill's left-back was caught napping when Kim's sharpness helped him arrive from the blind-side of the defender as he put the ball at the back of the net.

Shivajians creating plenty of chances, in the early stages of the second half. The hosts found acres of space to operate between the Churchill midfield and defence, as the second-half substitute, Sanju Pradhan's long-range effort nearly brought a second goal.

Manager David Rogers introduced fresh legs post the hour mark, Gouramangi Singh replaced McFauln in defence. Halicharan Narzary was introduced for Lallianzuala Chhangte 10 minutes later, as DSK Shivajians looked for an important second goal.

As the match entered its final 15 minutes, Churchill Brothers were presented with a golden opportunity to equalise from the spot.

In the aftermath of the foul committed by Sanju Pradhan inside the box, referee Pranjal Banerjee gave the visitors a chance to make it 1-1.

But the experienced Anthony Wolfe was denied from the spot by Shivajians goalkeeper Soram Anganba, who stretched towards the right to deny the Trinidad and Tobago international to score.

Visitors introduced their last substitute in Surchandra Singh in the 85th minute, whose first vital contribution was to win a corner which brought about the equaliser. Adil managed to nod home to give the Goan outfit much needed breathing space.