Sudeva Delhi was held to a goalless draw by Indian Arrows in an I-League match here on Sunday.
An extremely cagey start to the first-half ensured neither keeper was tested. Both sides attempted only two shots each, out of which only one for Sudeva was on target.
Brijesh Giri was the first to advance and won a freekick on the left flank after his typical sprint was halted unfairly by Sudeva skipper Vanlalzuidika Chhakchhuak. Nothing manifested from the resulting free-kick for the Arrows.
At the other end, Sudeva won a free-kick right in front of goal, near the edge of the box after Sibajit Singh brought Lawmnasangzuala down.
In-form youngster Shubho Paul's effort straight hit the Arrows' wall.
The only on-target shot of the half came in the 17th minute when William Neihsial cut into the Arrows' box from the left and saw his near post attempt was comfortably saved by Arrows' keeper Lovepreet Singh.
In another match, Aravindraj Rajan scored the solitary goal as Kenkre edged past 10-man Real Kashmir 1-0 to collect three crucial points.
Debutants Kenkre FC rode on a late second-half strike by Aravindraj Rajan to edge past a 10-man Real Kashmir FC 1-0 in the I-League here on Sunday.
The bottom-placed Kenkre, thus, continued its unbeaten run in the relegation playoff, securing its third win from four matches to throw the relegation battle wide open.
With one round remaining, Kenkre FC now hasve 12 points, while Real Kashmir issitting precariously in the fifth spot after suffering its fourth defeat on the trot.
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In a must-win match for the two relegation-wary sides, Kenkre dominated the first 15 minutes, while Real Kashmir had more attempts at the goal, but neither side were able to break the deadlock.
Rajan finally broke the deadlock in the 78th minute when Vijay Nagappan swung in a corner, and it was half-cleared by Bilal Khan's punch.
Substitute Khongsit took a shot from the half-cleared chance, but it was not cleanly struck.
Fortunately, it fell kindly for Rajan, who nodded the ball home from close range and gave Kenkre the much-needed goal.
In the 90th minute, Real Kashmir were reduced to 10 players after Ponif Vaz was sent off for showing dissent.
Seven minutes were added at the end of regulation time but it was not enough as Kenkre managed to hold on to their lead and seal three points.
The result meant that the battle to survive will go to the final day of the relegation play-off on May 4 when Real Kashmir face a must-win match against TRAU FC.
Kenkre will take on Indian Arrows, while Aizawl will face Sudeva Delhi.
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