Kolkata, August 14: On a rainy afternoon, with a soggy pitch being a common scenario in the Calcutta Football League, East Bengal FC and Bhawanipore FC settled for a 1–1 draw on Friday afternoon at the East Bengal Ground.

The entire match was played with intensity and physical battles, as both teams frequently challenged each other, resulting in several free-kicks. After an intense first half, with both teams trying various goalbound shots but failing to break the deadlock, the goals finally arrived in the second half.

As early in the 46th minute, Bhawanipore got their breakthrough through former East Bengal player Shyamal Besra. From a quick attack down the right, goalkeeper Gourab Shaw came out of his position, and from the right side of the box, Shyamal unleashed a high shot into the empty net. Though a red-and-gold defender reached out to block it, the ball’s flight was high enough to find the back of the net.

But the lead didn’t last long, as East Bengal FC produced another stunning shot to equalise. In the 53rd minute, East Bengal launched an attack, and inside the box, amid a gathering of players, Manotosh Maji back-passed the ball to Ananthu, who sent a powerful shot into the net from outside the box.

In the 67th minute, East Bengal FC were forced into a change due to the physical nature of the battle, with Mohammad Bilal making way for Devdutt S. Within four minutes, goalscorer Ananthu attempted another powerful shot towards the net, which came within inches of hitting the crossbar. East Bengal narrowly missed taking the lead, as the shot was dangerous and, had it been on target, Aditya Patra would have been left with little chance.

In the final minute of the game, Rabi Hansda almost found the net for Bhawanipore, but his quick grounder narrowly missed the target, leaving the match undecided for both teams.

An intense attacking game and desperate footballing display left both teams maintained their unbeaten runs in the CFL, with East Bengal FC taking their tally to 14 points from six matches with five wins and a draw, while Bhawanipore FC moved to the top with 19 points from seven matches, remaining unbeaten with six wins and a draw.