Kalyani, Jan 19: Mohammedan SC came from two goals down to hold TRAU FC to a 2-2 draw at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium here on Tuesday.
Goals by Komron Tursunov in the second minute and Helder Lobato in first half stoppage time were cancelled out by headers from Nikhil Kadam and Hira Mondal in the 58th and 68th minutes respectively, as both the teams shared points at the end of the 90 minutes.
TRAU were given the chance to go ahead in the very first minute itself after Komron Tursunov’s header went inches over the bar. Sixty seconds later, Komron slotted home from close range, latching on to a rebound after a defensive error handed TRAU possession of the ball just outside the opposition’s penalty box.
It could have been three goals for TRAU in under 15 minutes had the Manipur outfit taken their chances.
In the 11th minute, another howler in the defence gave Komron the ball. With only the opposition custodian to beat, the Tajik forward shot wide of the goal.
The early setback rattled Mohammedan SC and though the Kolkata-based club dominated possession, their lacklustre performance in the final third meant that TRAU FC’s goalkeeper was forced to make easy saves, coming mostly from outside the box.
On the left wing for the Black Panthers, Nikhil Kadam proved to be a live-wire. His agile dribbling and speed caught the TRAU defenders off guard but that was not enough to find the back of the net.
In the 41st minute, his shot from distance was saved easily by the TRAU custodian.
In added time at the end of the first half, TRAU were given a corner and Komron Tursunov’s delivery was thumped home by an unmarked Helder Lobato, who doubled the Manipur side’s lead going into half-time.
With neither team able to create a clear goal-scoring opportunity the game finished as it started, all square. (PTI)
