East Bengal, Bagan draw goalless

Leaders East Bengal staved off a second half resurgence to hold arch rivals Mohun Bagan to a goalless draw in the fifth National Football League, at the Salt Lake stadium, in Calcutta, on Tuesday.

Both the teams played their hearts out but failed to break the deadlock despite having several scoring opportunities in a fast-paced and exciting derby clash.

East Bengal enjoyed numerical superiority in the opening session but the green and maroon brigade lifted their game by several notches after the interval and came dangerously close to the rival goalmouth in a superb display of constructive soccer.

With this draw, East Bengal managed to hold on to their slender three-point lead over their traditional rivals as the high-profile league entered the home stretch with just three matches remaining.

East Bengal, who suffered a stunning solitary goal defeat against local challengers Tollygunge Aggragami to lose vital points, maintained their position atop the points table with 39 points from 19 outings while Mohun Bagan have 36 points from as many encounters.

The clash of the local giants, watched by nearly 60,000 vociferous spectators, saw both the teams produce some well-orchestrated moves.