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Sreenidi Deccan FC were held to a 1-1 draw by Churchill Brothers FC in the I-League on Monday at the Kalyani Stadium. Forward Vineeth Kumar Velmurugan opened the scoring for the Vizag-based club in the 16th minute, but Komron Tursunov restored parity for CB in the second half.
The Andhra Pradesh club started the game on the front foot and constantly kept testing the Churchill Brothers backline. Young winger Rosenberg Gabriel was seemingly the liveliest of the Sreenidi Deccan attackers.
SDFC finally broke the deadlock in the 16th minute through Vineeth Kumar, who capitalized on a defensive error from the Goan club. The 21-year-old forward chipped the ball over Shilton Paul.
Minutes later, Vineeth had another opportunity to double their lead. But this time, Shilton was up to the task and closed down the striker. Vineeth had another half chance later in the half and could've potentially come away with a first-half hattrick.
After a brilliant combination play with Kenneth Ikechukwu in the 27th minute, Komron Tursunov almost evened the score. But his effort was reslienty denied by Sreenidi Deccan FC goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil. Meanwhile, the Red Machines suffered another blow when Kenneth went down with an injury and had to be subbed off.
Churchill Brothers took control in the second half
Coming out after the break, CBFC upped the ante and hoped to find that elusive goal. After a prolonged sparring from the Goan club, Komron Tursunov finally equalized in the 60th minute. Bryce Miranda made a darting run across the goal line before passing the ball to the Tajikistani forward, who volleyed it home.
Churchill Brothers seemed more likely to score the winner as the game progressed. They almost got one in the 86th minute through Tursunov but he blazed his chance over the bar.
With the draw, Sreenidi Deccan FC are third in the points table with 14 points from eight games. Meanwhile, the Goan club are struggling this season and remain ninth.
