Air India snatch late draw

Spirited Air India struck in the dying moments to hold Tollygunge Agragami 1-1 in a fifth National Football League match, in Calcutta, on Monday.

Defender Arun Malhotra scored the equaliser 90 seconds from close after Nigerian Abdullatif Seriki put the local outfit ahead with a spectacular back volley in the 72nd minute.

After an unproductive first half, the match at the Rabindra Sarobar stadium livened up in the second session with both teams pressing hard for the elusive goal.

Tollygunge finally found the mark when a Sasthi Duley cross from the left saw Emeka Achilefu heading down the ball near the opponent goalmouth for Seriki, whose snap back volley went in.

Air India, who were the better team on display, struck up a good rhythm, relying on short, neat passes which caused havoc in the Tollygugne defence.

The visitors drew level when Khambiton Singh fired a shot from the left, which deflected off Tollygunge stopper Felix Abayomi. Malhotra, who had overlapped down the right, latched on to the ball, and dodged past Abdul Wasiu Saliu to put the ball into the net with a diagonal shot.

The match saw an unsavouy incident soon after as the visitors' medio Khalid Jamil received marching orders for arguing with referee S M Baloo, reducing the Bombay team to 10 men for the remaining time.

After 14 matches, Tollygunge have garnered 15 points, one more than Air India.