A-I found the cross-bar thrice and missed two sitters in the dying minutes of the match to share the honours. Khalid Jamil, in his new role as striker, connected a low cross in the 50th minute to hit the Tollygunge bar while A-I skipper Henry Picardo on-the-run header, off Khambiton Singh's curling cross, again could find the crosspiece.

The A-I strike force was equally guilty of muffing easy chances. Towards the closing stages of the match, A-I put pressure on the Tollygunge defence but failed to make inroads into the box system devised by coach Amal Dutta.

Tollygunge's defence of Awoyen Isiaka, Hussain Mustafi, Sibsankar Santra andBasu held the A-I attacks near the box, ably supported by their medios.

After dominating for almost 30 minutes from the start, Tollygunge made the first goal-threatening attempt with a long ranger. Defender Biswarup Bisu unleashed a 35-yard shot which stunned A-I custodian Partha Das. However, Tollygunge was unlucky as the ball hit the bar and sailed over.

A-I coach Bimal Ghosh wasn't pleased with his side's performance. ``We could have returned the goals we took from them in last match. But our next match is going to be crucial if we have to stay in the contention.'' Amal Dutta, on the other hand, was happy to earn a point from the outing. ``The league is a marathon run so every point is important,'' he said.