​Delhi Dynamos and FC Pune City ​started their Indian Super League campaign by playing out a thoroughly entertaining 1-1 draw in the capital. 


Rana Gharami's thunderbolt gave Delhi the lead just before half time before Diego Carlos came up with an 88th minute equalising goal to earn Pune a vital point.


Delhi went into this game with a traditional 4-3-3 formation. Dorronsoro started in goal. Gianni Zuiverloon and Rana Gharami took up the centre-back positions with Narayan Das and Pritam Kotal as full-backs. 


Bikramjit Singh, Rene Mihelic and Marcos Tebar formed part of a three man midfield behind Nandha Kumar and Lallianzuala Chhangte on the wings. Kaluderovic spearheaded the capital side's attack.



Pune lined up with a safe 4-5-1 formation. Vishal Kaith started in goal. Foreign duo Matt Mills and Martin Diaz filled in at centre-back. Nimdorjee Tamang and Lalchhuanmawia 'Chhuantea' Fanai lined up as full backs. 


Jonathan Vila, Marko Stankovic and Adil Khan formed a midfield diamond with Jakob Vanlalhlimpuia and Aashique Kuruniyan on the wings. Emiliano Alfaro lead the Stallions' attack.


Both teams started the game in high spirits in their initial exchanges. Ashique started a move for Pune as he lofted the ball into Delhi's box in the fourth minute, but the capital side's defence were able to deal with a poaching Alfaro.


Both teams tried to keep hold of possession from there on but failed to do so. While Pune adopted a more safe approach, Delhi sought to long balls that gave problems to the Maharashtra based side.


Bikramjit pulled a hamstring and had to be stretchered off in the 36th minute. It looked like the half was heading towards a scoreless draw until the 44th minute when Delhi's centre-back Rana Gharami's right-footed shot from way outside the box nestled into the top corner to give the capital side the lead at half-time.


The second half started in the same way like the first with majority of the action rotating in midfield. Neither goalkeeper had to make any kind of save for the first 15 minutes of the second half.


Kaludjervoic missed a great opportunity to double Delhi's lead in the 67th minute as he could not adjust his position fast enough to properly connect to a decent low cross by Kotal from the right. The Serb's shot didn't do enough to force Kaith's hand into a save.


Diego Carlos and Gurtej Singh were introduced by Pune just before the 70 minute mark in order to change the game. Just three minutes later, Kaludjervoic got another chance to put the game to bed but his shot was blocked by Pune's defence who managed to keep their team in the match. Meanwhile, Delhi dealt with any threat posed by Pune with 20 minutes to go.


Desperate for a comeback, Pune took off Adil Khan and replaced him with Rohit Kumar in the 78th minute. 


Delhi goalkeeper Dorronsoro came up with arguably the save of the match in the 79th minute as he parried away a lethal effort from Jonathan Vila to keep the capital side's lead intact heading into the last 10 minutes of the clash.


21-year-old Lallianzuala Chhangte lit the home crowd up with a brilliant run in the 85th minute and almost scored a wonderful goal to put the tie to bed, but a slight deflection denied him a glorious moment.


However, the game was far from over as an inspirational move started on the left side by Fanai gave Pune a much deserved equalising goal in the 88th minute. A move started by Fanai and a brilliant piece of judgement by Alfaro saw Diego through on goal to restore parity in the tie.


Shell-shocked, Delhi almost instantly responded as Chhangte tricked his way inside Pune's box and laid the ball off to Andrija but Pune goalkeeper Vishal Kaith came to his team's rescue with an impressive save which was enough for the Stallions to nick one point from an intense encounter in the capital.