LUDHIANA — I-League leaders Namdhari FC’s four-match winning run came to an
end as they were held to a 1-1 draw by at the Namdhari
Stadium on Tuesday.
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.
