For Assam, the match assumed importance as they had gone down to the same team by a 1-3 margin in the Imphal National Games final. An indirect free-kick in the 31st minute, awarded in favour of Assam due to a deliberate back heel, proved to be the thorn in Maharashtra's flesh. Substitute Dipenteron of Assam, who took the shot, gently pushed it to his striker Durga Chetry, who shattered the Maharashtra wall with his raging right foot from 10-yard range. In the dying seconds of the first phase, Maharashtra's Manjit Singh, who top scored for his team in the NFL league withseven goals from eight matches, restored equilibrium with a lucky effort. Manjit met a curving corner kick by Subir Sinha in front of the goalmouth, and breasted the ball home.

The second session saw Maharashtra calling the shots. They showed better footwork, good ball sense and a strong defence. Midway through, Uday Konar, substituting for Shaik Sanjib, tormented the Assam citadel with his scorching pace. The Maharashtra coach, Irenio Vaz, said since his boys were playing their first encounter, they were finding it difficult to adjust to ground conditions. He also attributed the draw today to a poor performance by the half-line.

Tomorrow's fixtures: Bengal vs Services (Group I), Assam vs Kerala(Group III), Punjab vs Delhi (Group IV).