NEW DELHI, Dec 22: Sudeva Delhi FC grabbed their first point of the ongoing I-League season after a 1-1 draw against Mohammedan Sporting here on Thursday.
A change of coach meant a change in fortunes for Sudeva as Sankarlal Chakraborty handed the Delhi club one point from the match. Sudeva had lost their seven earlier matches on the trot.
In a game in which everything unfolded in the final minutes, Sudeva took the lead in the 86th minute through Theko Hriivei Carlos Pao, which was later cancelled out in injury time by a thumping volley from Abiola Dauda.
Mohammedan looked strong from the start and struck the woodwork in the first minute itself. Winger SK Faiaz managed to get onto the other end of a cross from the left, but was kept out by the cross-bar.
In the first 25 minutes, the visitors kept Sudeva rooted to their own half, building through the wings. However, Mohammedan lacked quality in the final third as the Sudeva goalkeeper Sachin Jha remained untested.
Three minutes into the second half, Mohammedan came close to scoring once again. Abhishek Halder fired a free-kick to find Ousmane N’Diaye in the box. The Senegalese sent a header towards the goal, but the Sudeva custodian Jha was well-positioned to make a reflexive save at the near post.
With around eight minutes of regulation time left on the clock, Pao was through on goal, before being tripped just outside the area by Abhishek Halder, who was immediately given marching orders by referee K Ramdasan.
It was Pao who ultimately gave Sudeva the lead with just four minutes of regulation time left. Francis Nwankwo went past his marker, entered the box and sent a grounded cross to Pao at the far post, who scored with a clean strike.
After scoring, Sudeva Delhi looked to run down the clock but were stunned by an equaliser in injury time. Faslurahaman sent a cross into the box, which was beautifully collected by Abiola Dauda, who struck an acrobatic volley into the back of the net from close range. PTI)
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