Aizawl FC was held to a goalless draw by Sporting Club de Goa in the first leg of its semifinal clash in the Federation Cup football tournament here on Tuesday.
Aizawl, which has been high on confidence after knocking out I-League champion Bengaluru FC, was able to create very few scoring chances at its home ground. The game was largely confined to the midfield, with both teams finding it hard to set up clear goal scoring chances. Aizawl FC regularly tried to break past the Sporting Clube defence, while the visitors looked to catch the hosts’ defence off-guard through counter attacks.
The home team started on an attacking note and in the ninth minute, the in-form Joel Sunday had a chance to put Aizawl FC ahead, but he failed to find the net, curling his shot over the bar. A minute later, Lalramchullova’s shot from 30 yards, following a clearance by the Sporting Clube defence from an Aizawl corner, went inches over the bar.
Although Sporting Clube disrupted its opponent’s attacking flow by initiating counter-attacks sporadically, the Goan club failed to restrict Aizawl FC in its half. The second leg match is slated for May 15 at Margao.
