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In a gritty I-League championship playoff encounter, Churchill Brothers SC edged RoundGlass Punjab FC (RPFC) 2-1 at the Kalyani Stadium on Tuesday. With the victory, the Red Machines have broken into the top three on the leaderboard.
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The game unraveled as a cagey affair, with both sides vying for early control of the midfield. The Goan club were held to a 1-1 draw in their previous game against Gokulam Kerala FC after recording a five-game winning streak.
Hence, the Churchill Brothers were adamant about returning to winning ways. The earliest opportunity fell their way in the fourth minute when Komron Tursunov got on the end of a Bryce Miranda cross from the left. But the Tajikistani attacker couldn't direct his effort between the two sticks.
Meanwhile, as the minutes rolled by, RoundGlass Punjab too settled comfortably into the game and carved out a couple of half chances in the initial phase. The Warriors' first chance came in the 12th minute through a free-kick attempt, but Shilton Paul parried away the effort.
Finally, in the 25th minute, the Churchill Brothers drew first blood through Miranda. The young winger made a darting run behind his man and reached a lobbed-through-ball from Kingslee Fernandes before tucking it home beneath the keeper.
Down a goal, the Punjab side upped the ante in the hope of restoring parity. RPFC seemed to have found the elusive goal in the 37th minute, when Travis Paul Major found the back of the net. However, his goal was ruled offside.
Churchill Brothers SC, RoundGlass Punjab FC grow desperate in the second half
Coming out in the second half, Churchill Brothers SC oozed confidence right from the get-go with the lead in their bag. However, RoundGlass Punjab grew desperate and threw in Robin Singh amongst the mix. It didn't take the Warriors long to find an equalizer.
Singh had an instant impact as he set up Kurtis Guthrie, who bagged his 13th goal of the campaign, equalling joint-top scorers Marcus Joseph and Luka Majcen in the race for the Golden Boot.
After coming back from behind, the Punjab players kept growing in confidence.
However, as the game evolved into an end-to-end encounter, Gnohere Krizo sealed the tie for Churchill Brothers SC with a late goal in the 85th minute. Before Krizo tucked home the winner, it was Saurav Mandal who set him up after a brilliant run.
