I-League: Mohammedan Sporting, Churchill Brothers play out 0-0 draw

Churchill Brothers played out a 0-0 draw against Mohammedan SC in a cagey I-League match at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Thursday. Much of the match was played in the midfield as the two teams split points between themselves.

Churchill dominated possession in the opening minutes. Mohammedan were, however, threatening on the counter and Sanjib Ghosh was presented with an opportunity to score in the seventh minute against the run of play. But the midfielder ended up shooting wide of the target.

Both teams then struggled to create chances as they took a cautious approach to the match. Clayvin Bernardez, who scored a hat-trick in Churchill's last match, was held at bay by the Mohammedan defence, forcing him to take shots from a distance as the two central defenders closed him quickly.

Mohammedan tried to penetrate the Churchill defence through the flanks towards the 20-minute mark and in the 26th minute, Hira Mondal ran clear from the left flank in an attempt to release a pin-point cross but his delivery was cut short.

The complexion of the match did not change much in the second half. A defensive error in the 48th minute could have led to a Churchill goal when Asheer Akhtar slipped in the defending third, allowing Miranda to break free and put in a cross for Majcen. However, Mohammedan goalkeeper Shubham Roy intercepted the ball and cleared the danger to keep the scoreline level.

--IANS

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