Dipendu Biswas

Calcutta: Mohammedan Sporting rallied to hold Mohammedan AC 1-1 in a CFL Premier Division match at their club ground on Thursday. After skipper and African import . Saheed put the minnows ahead in the 36th minute, substitute Dipendu Biswas levelled the scoreline with a header 12 minutes into the second half.

Mohammedan Sporting created chances on the day but never looked like taking home full points. Mohammedan AC were never in awe of their rivals and gave them a run for their money. The likes of Shiekh Shanawaz and Surabuddin Mallick were a constant thorn in the rival flesh.

The two foreign recruits — former East Bengal player Omoloja and Saheed — never allowed Sporting an inch on the field. Omoloja was a picture of confidence at the centre of the park and kept the midfield active. Saheed proved to be quite a handful for the Anupam Sarkars and Sovan Chakrabortys.

Sporting’s two foreigners Eduardo and Theodore Sunday hardly made an impression on the day. If Thedore was a mere passenger throughout his 77-minute stay, Eduardo was slightly better. He had a couple of assists — one of them produced the equaliser — and almost got his name in the scoresheet but he failed to direct a free header from inside the box.

The build-up to Saheed’s goal was scrappy but the execution superb. The Sporting midfield and the defence allowed Saheed to have a free run and his left-footer from top of the penalty box crashed into the net giving goalkeeper Naseem Akhtar hardly any chance to move.

The equaliser came a minute after Dipendu was introduced. Tapan Giri had no business in bringing down Eduardo at the far end and a melee ensued from the resultant free-kick.

Amitri Pal Singh’s effort did not have any effect and Dipendu’s header hit the woodwork. As rival goalkeeper Raju Ekka and the defence struggled to spot the ball, Dipendu headed it in.

“Happy to find the net... Would have been happier if the team had won the match,” Dipendu said later.

TEAMS

Mohammedan Sporting: Naseem Akhtar, Rajib Ghosh, Anupam Sarkar, Amritpal Singh, Suman Bose, Satyajit Bose (Dipendu Biswas 56), Sovan Chakraborty, Gautam Thakur, A Jyothi Kumar (Sashti Duley 29), Eduardo, Theodore Sunday (Nilendra Dewan 77).

Mohammedan AC: Raju Ekka; Raju Ekka, Raju Koley, Tapan Giri, Subhankar Nag, Prashata Sarkar, Shiekh Shanawaz, Omoloja, Buddha Maity, Mohammed Yasin, Surabuddin Mallick, Saheed.

Referee: Dilip Ghosh

Man of the Match: Shiekh Shanawaz