IOC slip against PNB,split points

An impressive move from the halfline by the PNB boys saw IOC goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan bringing about a desperate save,the ball rebounding high off his pads,before Arjun’s raised stick slotted it in. And even as Chauhan and the rest of the Indian Oil players protested — to be fair,the ball was high enough and the rest of the players close enough for it to be declared dangerous play — umpire GS Sangha stuck to his decision,helping PNB draw the game 2-2.

Till then,it had been an equal match,despite the weight of names the IOC side boasted on paper — at least 11 of the playing 18 have represented the country. In fact,PNB drew first blood,captain Bruno Lugun opening the scoring in the 28th minute. Lugun,at one point considered an exciting India prospect at the junior level before fading,not only kept the IOC defence busy himself but also made sure the ball was distributed all around to create chances.

IOC leveled scores through Roshan Minz four minutes from the breather,before young drag-flicker Gurjinder Singh put them ahead three minutes into the second half. Thereafter,it appeared more a contest on missed chances than scoring off them,with PNB missing three penalty corners and IOC shooting wide repeatedly. That is,till Arjun was on target to split points equally. In the other match of the day,Bharat Petroleum won a one-sided contest 3-0 against Namdhari XI.

Tuesday’s matches: Central Railway vs PNB XI (1 pm),Punjab and Sind Bank vs Namdhari XI (3 pm)