I-League: Pune FC & Sporting Clube de Goa play out 1-1 draw

Sporting Clube de Goa missed the chance to go joint top of the I-League leader board after being held to a 1-1 draw by Pune FC in an I-League match at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune on Sunday evening. Sporting Goa led through a Beevan D’Mello strike at the break.

Sporting Goa Coach Oscar Bruzon handed a debut to defender N. Mohanraj and very late in the first half brought on Roystan D’Souza off the bench to also make his SCG debut.

Sporting Goa took the lead six minutes before the lemon break, when Beevan cut between two Pune FC defenders like a knife through butter and delightfully curled the ball into the far corner of the net.

It took Pune FC just ten minutes after resumption to draw level when Sporting Goa failed to cut out a cross which was delicately steered home by the head of Thongkhosiem Haokip past Ravi Kumar.

In the closing stages Victorino Fernandes was introduced for the Flaming Oranje in place of ex-Pune FC striker Boima Jerry Karpeh, but Pune FC managed to contain his pace and hung on to earn a valuable point.

Sporting Clube de Goa moved to 28 points from 15 matches, while Pune FC have accumulated 25 points from the same number of games as the teams stay second and third in the I-League table.