I-League 2018/19: Defending champions Minerva Punjab share points with Churchill Brothers in their opening game

XtraTime Web Desk: Defending champions Minerva Punjab has started their I-League 2018/19 campaign in a dull way as they played out a goal-less draw against Goan side Churchill Brothers on Sunday at Panchkula.

Both the side split points at the end in a game where they missed a lot of chances which should have been converted very easily.




Irish UEFA Pro license holder Paul Munster, Minerva’s newly appointed technical director and coach Sachin Badadhe, chose to go in with an attacking formation with Nigerian Philip Njoku and the young and talented Souvik Das as wing backs in front of a three-man deep defense led by Ivorian Lancine Toure.




Akash Sangwan and the mercurial Nongdamba Naoren, also their under-22 start of the day, were played as attacking left and right wingers. William Opoku Asiedu and Manandeep Singh were the target men upfront.

Churchill also had a new coach for the season in Romanian Petre Gigiu and he opted for a more conservative 4-4-2 formation with Trinidadian Willis Plaza and and Gambian Dawda Cessay upfront with a four-man midfield led by Ugandan Khalid Aucho and Richard Costa at its heart.




Lamgoulen Hangshing was their under-22 pick in midfield and the youngster impressed in the game with his technique and vision before he was replaced early in the second half.

James Kithan was preferred in goal and the four-man backline was led by the likes of Lebanese Hussein Eldor and Mohanraj.




Minerva started from left to right of the field in their now familiar deep and light blue stripes while Churchill were in all red.

The Goan side however had the better of the exchanges in the first half, led by good performances by Dawda Cessay in particular who was the most enterprising, as well as Aucho and Hangshing in midfield.




In the 90th minute, substitute Uttam Rai had a golden chance to win it for the away side but his volley went straight at the keeper.