KOLKATA
A high-octane top-of-the-table clash between TRAU and Churchill Brothers ended in a 1-1 draw here on Sunday, forcing the I-League title to be decided on the last day of the season.
Luka Majcen's 28th-minute strike was cancelled out by Phalguni Singh's 43rd-minute effort as the teams shared the points. Churchill are now tied on points with TRAU and Gokulam Kerala with 26 points from 14 matches. Gokulam “ who beat Mohammedan SC 2-1 later in the day “ lead the table on account of a better goal difference and head-to-head record, in front of TRAU and Churchill. The league winners will be decided on the final matchday next Saturday when the three teams will be in action simultaneously. Churchill will face RoundGlass Punjab, while Gokulam will face off against TRAU.
Churchill, desperate to put behind their woes in the Championship stage of the season that saw them succumb to two back-to-back defeats, started the match on an attacking note. The Red Machines could have taken the lead as early as the second minute when Luka Majcen was found inside the box off a fine pass. Majcen's shot from close range, however, failed to find the net, as TRAU survived an early scare.
In the 23rd minute, Bryce Miranda missed a sitter and probably the best goal-scoring opportunity of the match. With the goalkeeper out of position, Miranda had to just tap the ball home from close range. But, he fluffed his shot. Churchill's dominance finally paid off in the 27th minute when the referee pointed to the spot for a clumsy tackle inside the box. Luka Majcen stepped up to take the penalty kick and smashed it home to hand Churchill the lead.
TRAU were playing catch-up to Churchill Brothers for much of the first half. With Komron Tursunov leaving for international duty for Tajikistan, the Nandakumar-coached side struggled to stitch attacks as Bidyashagar Singh was left isolated upfront.
However, all it took for the Manipur-based club was one through-ball in the 43rd minute to bring the match to level terms. A fine pass by Bidyashagar split the defensive pairing of Hamza Kheir and Keenan Almeida in two as Phalguni Singh beat them for speed and latched onto the ball. With just the opposition goalkeeper to beat, Phalguni slotted the ball home to make the scoreline 1-1.
In the second half, the Red Machines continued their attacking dominance but were left frustrated in the final third as TRAU committed bodies in defence and defended in numbers.
