Margao: Churchill Brothers allowed East Bengal to come from behind in a 1-1 draw to split the points in the 17th-round tie of the I-League at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Margao on Friday.
Churchill had the lion's share of scoring chances throughout, especially in the second half, but their strikers once again failed to take advantage. Luck also eluded them as Lenny Rodrigues's and Henri Autchouet's attempts at the goal hit the woodwork.
The draw takes East Bengal to 34 points from 17 matches, while Churchill took their tally to 30 points from 16 matches.
Churchill, who needed a win to keep themselves close to table-toppers Dempo with 36 points, showed a lot of determination and urgency in their attack. Coach Manuel Gomes opted to start with three strikers, including one on the right of midfield, giving Churchill a lot of attacking intent. It took East Bengal by surprise, as the visitors struggled to come to grips with the torrent of attacks early in the game.
One such move, led to Churchill taking the lead in the 7th minute, when Henri Arnaud Autchouet headed home at the near post a cross from a Steven Dias corner. They could have increased the lead midway in the first half but Lenny Rodrigues's 25-yard rasping drive hit the bar.
For the remainder of the first half, the ball was mostly confined to the midfield as East Bengal looked out of sorts and Churchill seemed content with the solitary-goal lead.
Changing over, they again had a golden chance to increase their lead but Henri fumbled in front of goal as his weak shot was saved by rival 'keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
East Bengal failed to build a single constructive move in the first half, but then scored with their first attempt on goal in the second half. Tolgay Ozbey managed to find himself free in the 53rd minute when he headed in from close range after defender Thangjam Singh allowed the ball to get past him off a cross from Harmanjot Singh Khabra.
Tolgay nearly put his team ahead a few minutes later when his free kick was put out by Churchill 'keeper Felix D'Souza.
Steven Dias, who kept the rival defence under pressure with his well-directed crosses, was replaced by Jason Vales in the last ten minutes by Churchill coach Gomes and the move backfired as the visitors looked more menacing in the final moments of the match. They nearly succeeded in pulling off a win when Tolgay Ozbey took a shot which hit the post.
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