Kolkata: United Sports Club and Mohun Bagan played out a goalless draw in a round 25 encounter of the Airtel I-League at the Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani on Sunday afternoon.

This was a game of very few clear cut chances as both teams lacked quality in the final third but United SC did hit the woodwork once. The result keeps Mohun Bagan two points ahead of United SC, who have a game in hand, but neither team are mathematically safe yet.

The first real chance of the game fell to United SC as Biswajit Biswas had a free header from an Eric Brown freekick but the youngster couldn’t hit the target.

Brown created another opportunity for Mohammed Rafique but the attacker’s shot was saved by Mohun Bagan custodian Shilton Paul.

Mohun Bagan slowly got into the game with Katsumi Yusa producing a fine solo run but his shot missed the target. Club captain Odafa Okolie tried his luck from a freekick but his effort went over the bar.

With the match kicking off in the afternoon, the referee allowed the players to have a mini drinks break midway through the first period. That interval rejuvenated both teams but they cancelled each other out in midfield.

Mohun Bagan’s Christopher Chizoba produced a decent run towards the end of the half but slipped at the crucial moment. There was a goalmouth scramble in the Mohun Bagan box just before halftime but the Mariners survived.

Both coaches made changes at the start of the second period and Mohun Bagan substitute Ujjal Howladar nearly made an instant impact as he tested Sangram Mukherjee.

Minutes later, United SC had the best effort of the game as substitute Baldeep Singh hit the bar with a header after Brown’s corner delivery.

Barring those two openings, the match was a scrappy affair in the second half with both sides looking to score but lacked the cutting edge upfront as the defences were on top. There were instances when players of each team decided to pass or take an extra touch instead of shooting.

As the game entered the final ten minutes a draw looked like the only outcome but United SC could have won it in stoppage time when Waheed Adenkule’s mishit shot fell kindly to an unmarked Baldeep inside the box but he blasted his effort over the bar.