NAIHATI, WEST BENGAL
Churchill Brothers and RoundGlass Punjab went toe-to-toe in an epic clash to share the points in the 12th game of the I-League on Friday.
Churchill, who are considered as one of the title contenders had a rough start to the 2021-22 season. The Goans lost 1-0 to former champions Gokulam Kerala FC in their first game. RoundGlass Punjab FC on the other hand started their campaign with a brilliant 2-0 result against Rajasthan United Football Club.
RoundGlass Punjab dominated the early proceedings in the game, controlling the game in the middle of the park but Churchill pressed them immensely. But against the run of play, Sekou Sylla latched onto an inch-perfect cross from Komron Tursunov in the 17th minute to give Churchill the lead. The Churchill resistance finally broke in the 34th minute of the game as Kurtis Guthrie's right-footed shot from an acute angle inside the box found its way into the back of the net. The back and forth between the two teams continued with both teams enjoying successful passages of play during different phases.
Churchill regained their lead in the 44th minute as a beautiful first-time curler delivered by the Full Back Lamgoulen Gou Hangshing, found Kenneth Ikechukwu headed the ball into the goal. The first half ended with Churchill leading RoundGlass 2-1. It looked like Churchill would run away with the three points but RoundGlass Punjab equalized late on in the 88th minute of the game. Kurtis Owen scored a wonderful free-kick from outside the box to bring the game to 2-2 for RoundGlass. The game ended with both teams getting something out of a game in which they put their all in. The end-to-end battle gave both teams a point each.
RoundGlass Punjab FC faces Kenkre FC in the next round of games while, Churchill Brothers will have a chance to secure their first win of the season against Sudeva Delhi, who are on a two-game losing streak.
