I-League: 100th-minute penalty denies Churchill Bros important win against Sreenidi Deccan

Margao: Shaking his head in disbelief, club owner Churchill Alemao got up from his seat and walked out of the VIP enclosure, scarcely believing what he had seen during the last few minutes of Churchill Brothers’ clash against Sreenidi Deccan at the Panchayat ground in Raia on Sunday.
In an important I-League clash with just two more rounds left to be played, top-ranked Churchill led 1-0 till the 90th minute when seven additional minutes were flashed. For the next seven minutes, they stood firm, but in the tenth minute of added-on time, referee Crystal John adjudged that defender Lalliansanghe Renthlei had fouled Lalromawia inside the danger zone. A penalty was awarded which David Castaneda converted to secure a dramatic 1-1 draw for Sreenidi Deccan.
That was the last kick of the game with Churchill not even having time to retrieve the ball out of the net.
It was a controversial end to a game that Churchill seemed to have done enough to merit a win and move closer to the dream of winning their third I-League title, one that can take them to the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL). The draw still leaves Churchill at the top of the table with 38 points, but challengers Inter Kashi are three points behind, with a game in hand.
Churchill face Inter Kashi next on Sunday in what could possibly decide the title.
The draw, specifically the added-on time penalty that the referee awarded, has prompted Churchill to file an official protest.
“Firstly, a total of seven minutes were added to the 45 of the second half with the score 1-0 in our favour. But the referee continued the game well past eight minutes of play having gone through in added-on time. In fact, he even looked at his watch twice after eight minutes but appeared to wait for an opponent attack into our penalty area,” the club said in its complaint to the match commissioner.
In the protest letter, the club has said there are “obvious errors” in the decision making of the referee and asked the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to look into the “undue extension of added-on time and the award of the penalty itself.”
Looking back, Churchill will wonder how they scored just one after creating several chances.
It was a brilliant strike from Pape Gassama in the 29th minute that helped them surge ahead. After receiving the ball at the edge of the area, the Senegalese midfielder placed it brilliantly past goalkeeper Aryan Lamba, who could only admire the pace and precision of the strike.
The hosts controlled the tempo for most of the match, with Stendly Fernandes and Trijoy Dias providing width from the flanks. For effective service, there was Sebastian Gutierrez in the middle, while Wayde Lekay looked dangerous whenever he had the ball at his feet.
Churchill, though, lacked the finishing touch as Stendly and Trijoy missed chances in the first half.
For Sreenidi, there was hardly anything of note. Castanada’s surprisingly weak header from inside the box was the closest that they came to scoring. In the second, with a string of changes, the visitors had more men forward, though they didn’t trouble the rival goalkeeper.
Churchill enjoyed an edge in the second. Stendly saw his effort from close range balloon over, and his perfect cross inside the box only resulted in substitute Rafiq Aminu heading wide.
The best chance came in stoppage time and fell at the feet of Rafiq as Lekay intercepted a poor clearance from the goalkeeper and laid the ball off to his Ghanaian teammate. With only the keeper to beat and a clear shot on goal, Rafiq sent his effort over the bar.
It was a shocking miss, but there was still time for some drama in the game as Sreenidi won a penalty in the 100th minute of play with Churchill protesting vociferously against not just the foul but also the opponent being in an offside position while receiving the ball. The referee, though, didn’t budge.
Castanada then kept his cool to score from the spot and secure a point for his side.