Punjab hold Mariners as Neroca pip Real Kashmir

Ludhiana: Mohun Bagan maintained their position at the top of the I-League 2019-20 standings with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against hosts Punjab FC here on Tuesday.
Seasoned Cameroonian striker Dipanda Dicka gave the hosts the lead in the first half and they almost clinched a win before young Subha Ghosh snatched an equaliser late in the match. Bagan now have 14 points from seven games while Punjab move one place up to second with 11 points from eight. The visitors’ Spanish coach Kibu Vicuna named an unchanged starting line-up from their previous solitary goal victory against the Indian Arrows. Punjab’s Yan Law, however, made two changes, bringing in Dicka and Samuel Shadap in place of Girik Khosla and Thoiba Singh, who had started their previous game. On the other hand, Malian forward Boubacar Diarra scored the match-winner as NEROCA FC beat Real Kashmir 1-0 to snap their four-match winless streak in the I-League here on Tuesday.
Diarra headed home in the 62nd minute to give Neroca their second win of the season at the Khuman Lampak stadium. Neroca also jumped to the seventh spot with eight points from seven matches. Real Kashmir slipped one spot to 10th, just above bottom-placed Indian Arrows, with six points from six matches. (PTI)