Mahindra halt East Bengal's winning run

Mahindra United put the brakes on title-holders East Bengal's winning run as the two sides finished 1-1 in a fast and lively ninth National Football League match at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata [ Images ] on Friday.

The local outfit struck early through Climax Lawrence, before Mahindra United squared the issue the issue through  S Venkatesh, who scored five minutes from the breather.

East Bengal, who lost their first point after six back-to-back victories, now have 21 points from nine outings. The Mumbai-based Mahindra United are on 13 points from eight matches.

Wildly cheered by around 30,000 spectators, East Bengal went into the lead in the seventh minute, reaping the fruits of a sustained offensive on the rival deep defence.

The Kolkata outfit got back-to-back corners, and the fourth proved productive. Alvito D'Cunha let loose a swinging left-footer which was headed in by Climax, who got his sixth goal of the current league.

Mahindra, well-served by their formidable midfield, returned to the game with aplomb and restored parity in the 40th minute. Kulothungon launched on a long run and cut into the box almost unchallenged, as the East Bengal defenders mistakenly believed that he was off-side.

The Mahindra medio, who had moved close to rival custodian Rajat Ghosh Dastidar, utilised the opportunity to the hilt, and essayed a square pass to an unmarked Venkatesh, who slotted home.