I-League: Churchill Bros a point away from title after dramatic 2-2 draw against Inter Kashi

Panaji: The distrust between Churchill Brothers and Inter Kashi had grown so much that the visitors did not even accept the water bottles that were offered to them by the home team. They brought their own snacks, even arranged for their own transport.
It was that kind of a match with too much at stake. Churchill needed a win to pocket the I-League title, while third-placed Kashi knew the tables would turn if they somehow returned home with all points.
The clash lived up to the hype at the Panchayat ground, Raia, on Sunday. Watched by a capacity crowd, the fierce battle saw eight yellow cards, one red for Joni Kauko after the game, coaches exchanging angry words with opposition players, a stunning freekick, and plenty of drama. It ended 2-2 with Churchill scoring an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
For a side needing three points to emerge champions, Churchill should have been disappointed with a home draw. But if you saw the celebrations in the end, you’d know what it meant to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat as Lalremruata (90+4’) scored from a freekick. Kashi protested that the ball had struck the outstretched hand of Churchill’s Jose Luis Moreno, but Nepal referee Prajwol Chhetri consulted his assistant and awarded a goal.
Lalremruata’s goal provided a dramatic finish to an edge-of-the-seat thriller, one where Moreno (57’) gave Churchill the lead after a goalless first half, only for Kashi to roar back with a clever lob from Edmund Lalrindika (63’) and a stunning Nikola Stojanovic freekick, just two minutes later. It all seemed to go the visitors’ way until Lalremruata’s dramatic late equaliser.
The result leaves Churchill at the top with 39 points, needing only a draw away against Real Kashmir in the concluding league clash next week to win themselves the I-League crown for the third time, their first in 12 years. Second-placed Gokulam Kerala (37 points) need Churchill to lose for a shot at the title, while third -placed Real Kashmir (36 pts) can create history of their own if they win by a three-goal margin against Churchill and Gokulam drop points against Dempo on the concluding day.
Unless the AIFF appeals committee decides otherwise, Kashi are out of the title race due to their inferior head-to-head record against both Churchill and Real Kashmir.
When the match kicked off, Churchill came hard at the visitors, playing in front of a partisan home crowd. Lalremruata was booked inside the first five minutes, objects were thrown at the assistant referee too from the stands, prompting the referee to halt the game. A public announcement for calm was also made, while policemen in the stands were told to step forward and face the crowd.
On the field, there was little to separate the two sides, at least in the first half. Edmund Lalrindika missed from close-range, open goal to aim at, after K Prasanth struck the upright in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
Churchill scored the opening goal closer to the hour mark when Sebastian Gutierrez sent in a freekick for Moreno to head home at the near post, from a crowded goalmouth.
That joy was, however, short-lived.
Mario Barco, seeing Edmund running into an open space, headed it into his path and the India international showed good temperament, and skill, to lob the ball over the onrushing Churchill goalkeeper Sayad Bin Abdul Kadir.
What followed two minutes later was even more stunning as the crowd rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Stojanovic, seeing the goalkeeper off his line, decided to try his luck from the half-way line. His freekick was struck so precisely that it did enough to be just out of the backtracking keeper’s reach, flying into the net.
From delirium a few minutes ago, the home crowd was silenced. Kashi were celebrating, until Lalremruata scored from a freekick of his own in stoppage time for Churchill.