Punjab FC defeated Bengaluru FC 3-2 to snap their seven-game-long winless run in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday. (Match Highlights | More Football News)
The home team made an emphatic comeback that saw them strike thrice in the🔴 second half to get all the three points from the match. Theꦅy stay in ninth spot in the standings with 23 points to their kitty.
Alberto Noguera pulled off a slick corner kick in the 23rd minute, well-directed to Sunil Chhetri on the far post that produced Bengaluru FC’s༒ fir🌳st concrete chance of the game. Chhetri’s headed effort was aimed on target but blocked in time to keep the scores level.
Noguera replicated a similar delivery from another corner kick in the 36th minute, this time from the left side. He attempted a different route this time, giving the ball to Rahul Bheke who was placed at a distance down the centre.
Bheke thundered his shot 𓆉above the post though as he couldn’t keep his effort on 👍target.
Bengaluru FC retaliated on the brink of half-time, as Roshan Singh saw a yard of space on the left wing and curled🌜ಞ in a cross for Edgar Mendez inside the box. Mendez’s header missed the target on the right, keeping scores level at the end of the first half.
Mendez pulled a goal in the Blues’ favour four minutes into the second half though. Sunil Chhetri initiated a move from wide out the left flank and a lateral ball inside the Punjab FC box was hastily cleared by their backline. The ball ricocheted off Mendez’s boot before striking the back of the net to get the Blues tꦗhe lead.
Petros Giakoumakis quickly snapped the momentum of the game by enabling Punjab FC to secure the equaliser by eꦉarning a spot-kick that Asmir Suljic ended up taking in the 55th minute. Suljic showed impeccable accuracy, hammering the ball in the high centre of the n🦩et to get the game back to level terms.
Filip Mrzljak’s smart moves inside the box got Punjab FC the lead back in the 79th minute thꩲough꧂. It was a culmination of Punjab FC’s ploy to drag Bengaluru FC’s defence wide and exploiting the spaces at the centre.
Khaiminthang Lhungdim’s cross from the 💙right was met by Luka Majcen who nodded it on target, only for it to be saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Mrzljak pounced upon the rebound to target the top right corner, resulting in the team’s second goal of the match.
Bheke had been a formidable presence inside the box throughout the game and that yielded the requಌired returns for Bengaluru FC. He jumped upon a cross from Mendez following a corner to smash it into the centre of the goal upon the commencement of the injury time, symbolising the back-and-forth nature of contest.
Punjab FC, yet, didn’t let their guards down and inste𝔍ad stayed patient in absorbing waves of attacks and spotting the right moment to hit Bengaluru FC on the counter-attack.
Deep into the added time of the second half, they executed on✃e such flawless fast break that Majcen rounded off.
Nihal Sudhe♛esh’s through ball from the situation was met by Majcen, controlled by his right foot in the middle of the 18-yard box and then drilled into the bottom left corner to notch a tremendous comeback win for Punjab FC.
