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The 39th Hero I-League match between Aizawl FC and Indian Arrows at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack ended in a 0-0 lackluster draw.
This draw doesn't help either of the sides as they still languish in the bottom three of the points table.
The former I-League champions failed to find the back of the net only for the third time in the tournament.
The AIFF Developmental side, on the other hand, hasn't scored since their second game of the campaign.
Indian Arrows will continue their stretch of three consecutive home games when they take on Gokulam Kerala on 21st December. Meanwhile, the visiting Aizawl FC has finished their journey on the road and will take on the very same opponent on 29th December.
If you missed the game and wondering how the match between the two sides panned out, don't worry. We have covered you in this section as we bring to you 3 reasons why Aizawl FC drew with Indian Arrows.
#3 Safety first approach taken by both the sides
Aizawl FC and Indian Arrows desperately required the three points to come close to the chasing pack. However, both the sides started with a safety-first approach and cautiously approached the game.
Instead of pressing and closing down the opposition, they allowed each other to hold the ball in the midfield. However, both the sides fumbled in their passing and, the attacks fizzled out in the midfield third itself.
The first half was extremely tepid, turning out to be a snoozefest for the audience. Indian Arrows did look like the side with more intent to draw first blood. However, other than an extremely close chance at the 41st minute, they couldn't create anything meaningful.
Needless to say, the action was more invested for the fans in the second half.
#2 Long ball tactics used by both the teams
The only positive aspect of the Indian Arrows' matches is their scintillating short passes. The Indian Arrows' players knew they didn't have the physicality on their side and using the long ball tactic wouldn't bear many fruits.
However, they experimented it against Aizawl FC and had come close numerous times to scoring.
Rather than putting the ball in the air aimlessly, the midfielders knew when to resort to it. Amarjit Singh Kiyam led the pack and was even awarded the 'Hero of the Match' for his exploits.
Aizawl FC, too, had to resort to the long ball tactic as the Indian Arrows' players had crowded the midfield. However, instead of the ball reaching their players, it fell into the path of the Indian Arrows' defenders. Kromah, too, can share the blame as he mistimed his run.
#1 Both the teams squandering their opportunities
As mentioned earlier, there was only one meaningful chance at the first half when Vikram Singh gave a beautiful cross towards Rahim Ali after doing a one-two with Boris Singh.
All the Mohun Bagan youth academy product had to do was heading the ball goalwards as he successfully towered above his marker. However, the ball went above the crossbar.
As the teams came out of the tunnel, Dodoz got a brilliant opportunity to put his side in lead after a defense-splitting pass from Vapuia. However, the Ivorian spurned away his chance despite being one-on-one.
At the 81st minute, Boris showed his brilliant piece of skills and found space inside the penalty box despite a defender closing him down.
He dipped his shot so that the ball is out of reach of the goalkeeper, but it ultimately hit the woodwork.
At the dying embers of the match, Anwar Ali unleashed a scorcher in front of the halfway line from a free kick. However, it sailed inches above as the goalkeeper was too slow too slow to react.
