FC Alakhpura were held to a 1-1 draw by Jeppiaar IT FC in the ongoing edition of the inaugural Indian Women’s League (IWL) at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital today (February 06, 2017).

Ritu Rani’s 34th minute strike for Alakhpura was cancelled by Sandhiya’s 44th minute goal as both teams shared the spoils of battle.

Jeppiaar IT FC took an explosive start and could have taken the lead early on but Sandhiya’s 4th minute shot rattled the woodwork and came back into play, after she had missed from close range in the 2nd minute.

Alakhpura fazed by the early setback tried to play defensively but almost paid the price in the 22nd minute when Sandhiya ran clear of her marking defender and chipped an onrushing custodian, only to see her shot going inches wide of the goal.

In the 34th minute, Alakhpura took the lead against run of play when Ritu’s shot from distance hit the crossbar and went in, much to the opposition custodian’s amazement as she was left star-struck.

However, Jeppiaar FC came back stronger and equalized their deficit in the 44th minute when Sandhiya scored from a tight angle to make it all square going into the half-time.

After the break, it was Alakhpura who called the shots and dominated possession in an attempt to break the Jeppiaar’s defence. With Jeppiaar committing bodies behind, the task became herculean.

In the 53rd minute Sanju fostered a half-chance as her half-volley from outside the box could only test the opposition custodian.

Becoming overly cautious, both the Teams tried to outfox each other but could only contain the opponent. Deepika came close to scoring in the 70th minute but her shot could only flash close to the goal.

The full-time scoreline read 1-1 as both Teams shared points.

(Report & Photo courtesy: AIFF Media)