- Punjab FC – 3 (Asmir 55’ (p) Mrzljak 79’, Majcen 90’+6)
- Bengaluru FC – 2 (Mendez 49’, Bheke 90+2)
New Delhi, February 1, 2024: Luka Majcen’s winner deep into injury time ensured Punjab FC secure all three points in a five goal thriller against Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League fixture which was played here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. All five goals were scored in the second half. Asmir Suljic and Filip Mrzljak scored the other goals for Punjab while Edgar Mendez and Rahul Bheke scored for Bengaluru FC. With these crucial three points, Punjab FC remained in ninth position with 23 points from 17 matches while Bengaluru FC remained in fifth with 28 points from 19 matches.
Punjab FC Head Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis made three changes to the starting line-up with January signing Petros Giakoumakis getting his first start. Ravi Kumar was back in goal in place of Muheet Shabir and Ezequiel Pulga Vidal, after his fine performance in the last match got the nod ahead of Filip Mrzljak. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza named a strong eleven with their top scorers Sunil Chhetri and Ryan Williams leading the attack.
The home side were the more energetic side from the start of the game, pressing high and not giving space for the Bengaluru defence and midfield to play through them. The attacking four of Asmir Suljic, Pulga Vidal, Petros Giakoumakis and Muhammad Suhail combined well to find spaces inside the opponents half. Pulga Vidal’s left footed attempt from outside the box was pushed to safety by the goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Suhail was particularly impressive down the right wing with his pace and dribbling, and the youngster came close to scoring with a powerful strike which flashed wide and also went beyong the outstretched legs of Giakoumakis. Punjab were more dangerous in the final third. Ivan Novoselec came close with his towering header from a corner which saw the goalkeeper scrambling but it went wide.
On the other end, even though Bengaluru had 65% possession in the half, they could not create any clear cut chances. Edgar Mendez came the closest to score with his glancing header of Roshan Singh’s cross deep into the first half.
Bengaluru FC took the lead three minutes into the restart with some luck favouring the away side. Roshan Singh’s low cross was parried away by Ravi Kumar into a danger area. The attempted clearance by Novoselec deflected into the net off Edgar Mendez who did not know much about it.
The Shers responded well and equalised just seven minutes later. Pulga Vidal stole the ball from a sloppy play in the midfield by Suresh Wangjam. The Argentinian rolled the ball onto the path of Gialoumakis who was tripped by the on rushing Gurpreet Sandhu inside the box. Asmir Suljic stepped up and calmly converted the resulting penalty to level the scores.
Punjab continued to push for a second goal, putting relentless pressure on the Bengaluru defence, putting in dangerous crosses from both wings. The fresh legs of Luka Majcen, Filip Mrzljak and Nihal Sudeesh added more strength to the attack. The Shers finally took the lead in the 79th minute. Khaimingthang Lhungdim’s cross from the right wing was diverted on target by Luka. Gurpreet Singh could only push the ball onto the path of Filip Mrzljak who rifled the ball into the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Bengaluru equalised two minutes into injury time through Rahul Bheke who diverted a pin point cross from Edgar Mendez beyond Ravi Kumar. With the match heading into a draw, the home side had the energy for one more moment of brilliance. Ivan Novoselec released Nihal Sudeesh down the wings and with the Bengaluru defence caught in possession, the Kerala forward released a brilliant first time cross to Luka who finished first time to confirm all three crucial points for The Shers.
Punjab FC will face table toppers Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their next fixture on 5th February which will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
