Churchill, Bagan play out 1-1 draw in I-League clash

VASCO DA GAMA, GOA: Churchill Brothers’ slim hopes of winning the I-League title faded further after a 1-1 draw against Mohun Bagan at the Tilak Maidan here on Saturday.

The visitors took the lead through forward Dipanda Dicka in the 39th minute after a goalkeeping howler from Churchill. The hosts, however, continued to press Bagan and finally found the equalising goal in the 78th minute through an Anthony Wolfe spot kick.

Having started the game on a bright note, Churchill almost took the lead in the 17th minute when Hussein Eldor hit the crossbar from a free kick.

The game opened up after Dicka’s opener, with Khalid Jamil’s Bagan struggling to deal with Churchill’s high line. Willis Plaza found himself at the end of two scoring opportunities early in the second half but failed to make either count. Dicka too missed a chance at the other end.

In the closing stages, Bagan had another chance but Bikramjeet Singh failed to slot in a Sony Norde corner. With the draw, Churchill stay third with 30 points from 17 games while Bagan are a further seven points behind after playing 16 games.