The in-form Churchill Brothers had to content with a goalless draw against Air India, courtesy a brilliant performance by man of the match AI custodian Sharat E C, in a ninth round tie of the I-League here on Sunday.
Churchill, playing without their star striker Odafe Okolie, missed several opportunities despite penetrating the the rival defence on numerous occasions.
Churchill started  aggressively to put the home team on the back foot but struggled to get the ball past rival custodian Sharat each and every time.
Thangjam Saran Singh, brought in for Odafe upfront, faltered to deceive and lost steam in the second half to be substituted by Durai Raju.
The visitors’ desperate attempts culminated in a long ranger in the extra-time of the second half by Naoba Singh (92st) but Sharat blocked that well to deny the Goan side a victory.
Churchill coach Karim Bencherifa said that there was the vaccum left by Odafe which was hard to fill. “His absence made the difference. It was Sharat’s day today and all credit goes to him,” said Karim. Durand Cup winners Churchill now have 17 points from nine outings while Air India are in the eighth spot with eight points.