Bengaluru FC survived from slumping to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions by earning a comeback draw against DSK Shivajians at Pune’s Balewadi Stadium. on Sunday in the I-League The match ended 2-2 after the home side led for much of the contest.
Holicharan Narzary scored both the goals for the Shivajians, one on either side of the half. After looking lacklustre for much of the contest, Benglauru sprang to life with Sunil Chhetri pulling one back with little time left. Young Salam Ranjan Singh slammed home the leveler in stoppage time from a Cameron Watson corner.
Milan Singh and Juan Quero came close with their attempts within the first half-hour of the game. Going forward, the rusty Benglauru attack seldom tested the Shivajians’ defence. Meanwhile, the young Shivajians side were rewarded for their efforts with Narzary scoring with five-minutes for the half-time whistle.
The goal only galvanised the Shivajians outfit, who continued to show great verve going forward and landed a second through Narzary barely 10 minutes into the second half.
In the final quarter of the game, Bengaluru found their footing and skipper Chhetri was the standout player, making several runs at the heart of the home side’s defence. With 10 minutes left, the 32-year-old veteran pulled one back for his side. A mazy run from Chhetri nearly brought his side the equaliser but Shivajians survived.
The Shivajians defenders caved in with two minutes left on the clock with Salam Ranjan Singh towering over the defence to give his side their first point in three I-League outings. Bengaluru are fifth in the table while Shivajians have moved to seventh.
Brief scores
- DSK Shivajians 2 (Holicharan Narzary x 2) draw with Bengaluru FC 2 (Sunil Chhetri, Salam Ranjan Singh)
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