Tollygunge, Mahindra fail to excite Play goalless draw

They, however, failed to keep up the momentum once inside the opposition striking zone. Tollygunge lost the easiest chance of the day three minutes from time when Duley set up for Nigerian Abdullatif Seriki, who headed down for an unmarked substitute Ranjan Chowdhury. But Chowdhury blew over from just outside the six-yard box.

Mahindra, on the other hand, sorely missed five of their regulars, sidelined with injuries.

The the absence of Raman Vijayan and Najib was dearly felt in the upfront, with their attacks lacking sting or punch in the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium match.

Though Habib Adekunle and the crafty Aqeel Ansari tried hard in the midfield, their efforts went in vain with strikers Venkatesh and Manjit Singh unable to pose any danger to the rival citadel.

Tollygunge, who suffered reverses in their first two outings against East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, now have one point in their kitty. Mahindra, who have also played three matches, are one point ahead.

Tollygunge coach Amal Dutta adopted the 3-1-3-3 formation, employing Nigerian Abdul Wasiu Salisu as a screen in front of the three deep defenders.

The city outfit launched the first move of the match, with Duley essaying a pass to Bhabani Mohanty whose shot was nicely saved by Mahindra custodian Virender Singh.

The first half of the exchange was marred by frequent angry exchanges among the players, with some even coming to blows.

Half an hour into the session, Mahindra got their only chance as Aqeel Ansari sent a 19-yard right footer, but Tollygunge goalkeeper Hemanta Dora saved the situation by diving to the left.

Only four minutes later, the Mahindra goal was under danger as Reazul Mustafa crossed from the right, but as Duley was about to let loose a power-packed goal-bound volley, Anthony Pereira came out of nowhere to clear the ball out of danger.

After the lemon break, Duley twice posed danger to the rival citadel, but on both occasions Singh came to Mahindra’s rescue. Minutes after the breather, his header was well collected by Singh, who also fisted over the goalline a 30-yard snap shot fired by Duley.