I-League: Churchill hold TRAU to keep title fight alive

Bidyashagar Singh, who has been the hero for Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC in the I-League so far scoring as many as 11 goals, was understandably distraught after missing one of the easiest chances during their match against Churchill Brothers in Kolkata on Sunday.
With only a minute of the regulation time left on the clock and the scoreboard reading 1-1, Joseph Mayowa Olaleye played an inch-perfect through from the right to Bidyashagar running down the centre.The striker was excellent in beating the off-side trap and only had the goalkeeper to beat.
All he had to do was go past Shibinraj Kunniyil and slot the ball home, but it wasn't to be.
Few minutes earlier only, the Churchill Brothers custodian had foiled a TRAU attempt and this time he was again up to the mark. He came out of his blocks, kept his focus on the ball despite Bidyashagar's trickery and easily foiled his attempt.
While TRAU didn't have any more chances after that, it was Churchill who came close to scoring once in the injury time. Churchill forward Zuniga Bernardez tried from distance but he hit it straight to TRAU goalkeeper Amrit Gope and the match finished 1-1.
Earning one point each, both teams now have 26 points from 14 matches. Gokulam Kerala, who beat Mohammedan SC 2-1 later in the day, also have the same number of points from an as many matches and are on top of the table because of a better goal difference and better head-to-head record.
The winner will now be decided on the last day of the league next Saturday when all the three teams will be in action simultaneously. While TRAU will take on Gokulam Kerala, Churchilli will face off against Punjab FC.
Earlier in the day, after missing a couple of easy chances Churchill took the lead when Luka Majcen converted from the spot in the 28th minute. TRAU goalkeeper Gope dived the wrong way as Luka calmly put the ball into the bottom-left corner.
However, Churchill, who had never beaten TRAU in the I-league, couldn't hold on to the lead for long as TRAU skipper Konsam Phalguni Singh equalized for the Manipur club in the 43rd minute.
After intercepting a pass at the centre, Bidyashagar played a defence-splitting pass to Phalguni. The skipper ran down the field with the defenders running behind him and with only the goalkeeper to beat, he made no mistake of slotting it into the net.
After the break both the teams went all out for victory and Churchill came very close to restore their lead in the 54th minute when Wendell Savio Coelho smashed the ball from well outside the box. The goalkeeper was nowhere near the ball but to his delight the ball hit the crossbar.