Ludhiana, Jan 28: I-League leaders Namdhari FC’s four-match winning run came to an end as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sreenidi Deccan FC at the Namdhari Stadium on Tuesday.
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Both goals came in the first half from two Brazilian strikers – Cledson Carvalho da Silva scored his seventh I-League goal for Namdhari before William Alves equalised at the stroke of half-time for Sreenidi Deccan.
Namdhari remain at the top of the table with 21 points from 11 games, but Churchill Brothers can overtake them should they beat Real Kashmir on Thursday. Sreenidi Deccan, who have now drawn three of their last four, continue to stay in eighth place with 12 points.
The first big chance of the game fell for David Castañeda, who headed over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
Namdhari defender Sukhandeep Singh had done enough to put off the Colombian, looking for his eighth goal of the season.
There were a lot of long-range attempts by both sides. Namdhari’s Francis Addo and Peter Seiminthang Haokip shot wide from 25 yards, while Lalnuntluanga Bawitlung swerved a half-volley off target from just outside the box.
Ultimately, it took a defensive lapse by Sreenidi Deccan for the hosts to score the opener in the 33rd minute.
It should’ve been a routine back pass to the goalkeeper for Eli Sabia but a bit of hesitation allowed Cledson Carvalho da Silva to muscle past him and slot the ball past Aryan Lamba.
And it was Brazilian Cledson’s compatriot, William Alves who cancelled out his goal with a well-taken header at the other end in the 45th minute.
The Sreenidi striker got on the end of a cross from the top of the box by Angel Orelien, who got his fifth assist of the season.
Namdhari goalkeeper Jaspreet had rushed out to punch the cross, but William did well to get to it ahead of him and glance it into the net.
Six minutes into the second half, Lamba pulled off a brilliant save to prevent Namdhari from regaining the lead. Addo’s looping delivery found Peter inside the box.
The latter skipped past his marker and pulled the trigger from close range but Lamba palmed it out.
The second half turned into a more cagey affair with less goalmouth action and rough midfield battles with lots of fouls and stoppages. Namdhari’s Addo, Cledson and Sreenidi’s Lalromawia were shown yellow cards.
The teams did grow desperate for a winner towards the end and Orelien and Dharmpreet Singh saw their shots from outside the box drift wide of the target.
Eventually, Namdhari got the ball in the net in injury time but were denied by the offside flag.
Vicente de Paula threaded a pass for Cledson, who rounded Lamba and tapped into the open net but the assistant referee’s flag had already gone up.
The thrilling 1-1 stalemate between Namdhari FC and Sreenidi Deccan FC brought an end to the league leaders’ impressive four-match winning streak while highlighting the competitive nature of this season’s I-League. (IANS)