Draw hands india tri-nation crown

Mumbai: India went searching for their 10th win on the trot but were held to a 1-1 draw instead by St Kitts & Nevis in their tri-nation football match at the Mumbai Arena here on Thursday. It was enough to hand the hosts the title thanks to their no-loss record.

In a game dominated by the home side, the visitors found solace in a late equaliser by Amory Gvaune to cancel out Jackichand Singh’s first half opener.

Led by Sandesh Jhingan, India started with a 4-4-2 formation like the previous game against Mauritius, making one change with striker Balwant Singh replacing Robin Singh.

The match started on a high note with Tishan Hanley fancying his chances in the first minute. After that, Blue Tigers kept pressure on the St Kitts’ defence which led to a promising free kick. Narayan Das took the free kick which was sent home by Balwant after ricocheting off a few players but the flag was raised by the assistant as the latter had gone well forward.

The pressure finally paid off for India with a goal from Jackichand in the 39th minute. The Indian number 10 flicked-on a header into the left corner after a cross from Rowlin Borges from the right wing which flew past the St Kitts goalkeeper Jamal Jeffers. 

The visitors came out with a better approach in the second half which resulted in a 72nd-minute equaliser.