JCT, FC Kochin draw

Former champions JCT Mills, Phagwara, and FC Kochin played a 1-1 draw in an evenly contested National Football League match, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, in Kochi, on Tuesday.

JCT led by a goal at half-time.

Both JCT and FC Kochin picked with first points following defeats to Churchill Brothers and Salgaocar respectively.

Striker Hardip Sangha put the Punjab side ahead in the 17th minute, when his powerful 30-yard free-kick from the left-flank beat a bewildered goalkeeper Ali Abubakar hands down.

Stung by the reverse, the Kerala outfit went all out in the second half and got the equaliser through V P Shaji, in the 53rd minute.

Medio Mikola Shevchenko of Uzbekistan laid the ground for the goal. He dodged past a defender and crossed into the goal area, where Noushad headed goalwards. JCT 'keeper Arvind Kumar was unable to gather cleanly, and an opportunistic Shaji quickly latched on to the rebound and tapped into the net much to the delight of the home crowd.

F C Kochin, who were struggling in the first half, were better organised in the second session and could have won the match had their strikers been a wee bit sharper. Shaji had a golden chance in the 59th minute but failed to beat Arvind Kumar.

Then in the 63rd minute striker Shafeeq could have clinched the issue but he drove straight into the hands of Kumar from close.

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