Sunil Chhetri leapfrogged Baichung Bhutia as I-League/NFL's all-time leading Indian scorer as Bengaluru FC played out a 1-1 draw against Aizawl FC on Wednesday.
Brandon Vanlalremdika gave Aizawl the lead in the 40th minute before Chhetri put the away team level at the stroke of half time with a spectacular strike from 30 yards out.
Bengaluru had the chance to take all three points through a penalty in the 55th minute, but Chhetri's spot kick was saved by Albino Gomes, who had also saved a penalty against Shillong earlier this season.
Unbeaten at home, Aizawl remain third in the table with 17 points from nine matches, while BFC are fifth with 12 points from eight. BFC travel to Mumbai next while Aizawl host league leaders East Bengal in the next round.
Minerva, DSK in goalless draw
Minerva Punjab FC and DSK Shivajians shared a point after a goalless draw in Chadigarh on Thursday. Minerva, who are making their I-League debut this season, have managed only four goals in nine games so far. They are currently eighth in the table with just seven points and the worst goal difference in the league. Shivajians remain sixth with 10 points.
East Bengal and Lajong share points
East Bengal dropped two crucial points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Shillong Lajong at the Kanchenjunga Stadium today.
East Bengal fell behind in the 20th minute as Samuel Lalmuanpuia drew first blood, but they drew level just before half-time thanks to Willis Plaza's header. East Bengal pushed forward in the second half in search of a winner, but were denied by some heroics from the Lajong keeper Vishal Kaith.
East Bengal have now drawn their last two matches, following their 0-0 stalemate in the Kolkata derby against Mohun Bagan. East Bengal, though, are still top of the table with 21 points, and are unbeaten this season.
Bagan held by Mumbai
Mohun Bagan spurned the opportunity to close the gap on East Bengal, as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Mumbai FC for the third season in a row.
Bagan came close to scoring in the first half through Sony Norde, but Laxmikant Kattimani was on hand to deny him in the 13th minute.
Mumbai themselves gradually grew into the game, and were unlucky not to be awarded a goal when Thoi Singh found the back of the net, but the referee Tejas Nagvenkar ruled it out for offside. Mumbai also struck the woodwork, with Farukh Choudhary's header beating Debjit Majumder but not the post.
The draw kept Bagan in second with 18 points, while Mumbai, who will next face defending champions Bengaluru, remain at eighth spot with seven points from nine matches.