Playing true to its form as the tormentor of big teams, Pailan Arrows held Pune FC to a 1-1 draw in a group-C league encounter of the Rose Valley 116th IFA Shield football here at the East Bengal ground on Sunday.
Southern Samity, a second division I-League outfit from the city, downed its I-League elite division opponent, Chirag United Kerala, 1-0 in a group-B tie at the Howrah Municipal Corporation Stadium.
Pailan Arrows, the experimental youth team floated by the All India Football Federation, began on a breezy note and found the lead early in the 16th minute through its striker Holicharan Narzary.
In the absence of its regular striker C.S. Sabeeth, who is out on national duty, Arrows found a good finisher in Narzary when he availed a short through-pass from George Alwyn and slotted home past an unsettled Pune FC defence-line.
Before Arrows could build up the lead Pune FC doubled its initiative and found the equaliser in the 36. Looking to ensure its survival in the tournament, Pune FC intensified its charge on the opposition goal and earned a penalty when the Arrows defender Prathamesh Maulingkar fouled the former's striker Subash Singh inside his own box.
Guinean striker Mandjou Keita successfully converted from the spot. With the two sides playing overtly defensive, the second session went barren. Pune FC earned a few scoring opportunities but failed to make much of them as an alert Arrows defence kept the ball out of harm's way.
The other match saw Southern Samity picking up full points off midfielder Sovan Chakraborty's lone strike in the first half. With only three teams in each group, the win put Southern Samity in a good position ahead of its next encounter, which will be against the Brazilian side Botafogo BFR.
