Kalyani, Jan 17 (PTI) Real Kashmir FC were held to a 1-1 draw by debutants Sudeva Delhi FC at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium here on Tuesday.

A wonder strike by Shaiborlang Kharpan from 35 yards was cancelled out by Mason Robertson in the 75th minute, as both the teams shared the spoils of battle in a cagey match where chances were rare.

Real Kashmir had a chance in the 10th minute when Danish Farooq pounced on a loose ball and ran towards the byline to whip in a cross. His delivery missed the Kashmir forwards as well as the opposition goalkeeper as the ball went out of play.

In the 12th minute, a header off a free-kick went wide of the Sudeva goal as Real Kashmir hunted for an early lead.

With Real Kashmir dominating possession in the final third, Sudeva looked to stop their forwards by committing bodies in defence. The Delhi outfit sat back and soaked pressure, clearing away loose balls and rarely found a sniff of the Kashmir goal.

Kean Lewis, who had been a bright spark for Sudeva in the last two matches, was well marked by the opposition defence, making life extremely difficult for the winger on the flank.

In the 19th minute, Sudeva had their first shot on target when Shaiborlang Kharpan's first-time attempt brought out a decent save from the opposition custodian.

Dangerous in counter-attack, Sudeva tried to once again breach the citadel, this time from distance in the 21st minute. However, their attempts were still kept out by the goalkeeper.

Although Real Kashmir dominated possession, the David Robertson-coached team had little to show for their efforts. The half-time scoreline read 0-0 as both the teams went into the tunnel on level.

The complexion of the match did not change much in the second half. As both the teams played cautiously and rotated possession from wing to wing, chances were few and far.

It needed something special to change the complexion of the match and that something special came in the 62nd minute. Kharpan picked up the ball almost 35 yards out and released an inch-perfect shot which crashed into the right top corner of the net to hand Sudeva the lead.

In the 72nd minute, Kharpan tried the spectacular once again, this time his shot went wide as he tried a first-time volley off a cross from the left flank.

Real Kashmir, however, did not have to wait long for the equaliser. In the 75th minute, Sena Ralte found Robertson, who had to shoot from a tight angle, but the lanky defender made the most of it and fired his effort between the legs of the opposition custodian to bag a leveller for the Kashmir outfit.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)