JOIN USPrayag rally to hold E Bengal
A goalkeeping folly by Gurpreet Singh helped Prayag United bounce back from behind as they struck twice in three minutes to hold East Bengal 2-2 in their 22nd round I-League fixture here on Friday.
East Bengal had a two-goal lead with strikes from Edeh Chidi (41st) and Manandeep Singh who converted a spot kick in the 49th minute.
On course to close in on league leaders Churchill Brothers, East Bengal were left shell-shocked in the 62nd minute with a bloomer by an absent-minded Gurpreet.
An otherwise alert Gurpreet let in a Carlos Hernandez long ranger from the midfield as the ball sneaked past his hands before entering the goalline to make it 1-2.
Having returned into the action from nowhere, Prayag looked charged up as their Nigerian ace Ranty Martins found the equaliser three minutes later with a powerful angled left footer that was sheer class.
Trevor Morgan brought in his tactical expertise bringing in Sanju Pradhan and Andrew Barisic but East Bengal looked down and out. They had a golden opportunity in the 82nd minute when Ishfaq Ahmed shot the ball over goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee but only to miss the target.
East Bengal now have 42 points, two behind Churchill Brothers who have five matches left compared to four of the former in the race to the I-League title. Prayag United, on the other hand, remained in top-five with 35 from 22 matches.
Arrows hold Mumbai FC
In Mumbai, Pailan Arrows held Mumbai FC 1-1 at the Cooperage ground. Ongnam Milan Singh netted for Arrows in the 26th minute while Yusif Yakubu equalised for the home team in the 44th minute.