Lalbiaknia secures a draw for NorthEast United

A fine piece of skill from Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia helped NorthEast United FC secure a 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC in an ISL clash at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday.

Lalbiaknia made an instant impact after coming on in the 64th minute. The NorthEast striker controlled a long ball from Asheer Akhtar with a deft first touch, before unleashing a powerful strike to beat BFC custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Lalbiaknia’s clinical finish was in contrast to the shots hit by his nervy teammates, who missed chances aplenty.

Earlier in the evening, the home team drew first blood through a fantastic individual effort from Braian Sanchez. In the 19th minute, the Argentine midfielder cut to his right and glided past his markers.

Sanchez finished the move with a low, hard strike from outside the 18-yard box, which nestled into the bottom left corner.

The match, played in front of 13,000-odd boisterous fans, witnessed several attacking plays from both teams. Parthib Gogoi’s attempt from close range in the opening minute, Michel Zabaco’s header and M.S. Jithin’s powerful shot kept the visiting team’s hopes alive in the first half.

NEUFC came close in the 62nd minute when Jairo Samperio latched on to a through ball, but once again, the quality of the finish was not up to the mark. At the other end, BFC nearly found a late winner via Ryan Williams, whose effort bounced off the crossbar.

The result: Bengaluru FC 1 (Braian Sanchez 19) drew with NorthEast United FC 1 (Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia 68).