Air India, Mohun Bagan split points in NFL tie

Mumbai, May 3 (UNI) Air India and Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan today split points after being involved in a listless goalless draw in a 16th round tie of the National Football League (NFL) at the Cooperage here.

With this goalless draw, Mohun Bagan have amassed to 21 points from 16 matches, while Air India were one rung below with 20 points from the same number of outings.

Both the teams dished out pedesterian football with no team being able to make any concrete move on the rival citadel.

It was the Kolkata giants who, however had the better of exchanges at the start of the match, but they could not convert their ball control into goals.

In the 15th minute, however, Air India had a look at the rival goal but Samson Singh's long ranger was parried away by Bagan goal keeper Sangram Mukherjee to safety.

After the change of ends, Bagan brought on midfielder Sumon Dutta for Chinmoy Sarkar and Sumon started making some good moves down the left flank, but again Bagan were left ruing their inability to convert their chances into goals.

Air India, meanwhile, had another chance in the 70th minute when captain Paresh Shivalkar gave a good pass from the left to Samson Singh whose weak shot was wide off the mark.

In the dying minutes of the game, Air India had a golden chance following a free kick, but Bashiru Abass was ruled off side and this chance also went abegging.

Air India's A K Martins was shown the yellow card for his challenge on Baichung Bhutia.

UNI