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Punjab FC (PFC) defeated Bengaluru FC (BFC) 3-2 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 tonight. The home team broke their seven-game-long winless run with an emphatic comeback that saw them strike thrice in the second half to get three points under the belt and stay in ninth spot with 23 points to their name.
Alberto Noguera pulled off a slick corner kick in the 23rd minute, well-directed to Sunil Chhetri on the far post produced Bengaluru FC's first concrete chance of the game. Chhetri's headed effort was aimed at the target but blocked in time to keep the scores level, a release said. 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 above the post though as he couldn't keep his effort on target. Muhammad Suhail came close to breaking the deadlock for Punjab FC four minutes later, as he landed in a promising position inside the right side of the 18-yard box. Ricky Shabong squared up a pass for Suhail, which he picked at the first go but ended up shooting wayward of the left post. Bengaluru FC retaliated on the brink of half-time, as Roshan Singh saw a yard of space on the left wing and curled in a cross for Edgar Mendez inside the box. Mendez's header missed the target on the right, keeping the scores level at the end of the first essay of the match. 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 the lead. Petros Giakoumakis quickly snapped the momentum of the game by enabling Punjab FC to secure the equaliser by earning 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 net to get the game back to level terms again. Filip Mrzljak's smarts inside the box got Punjab FC the lead back in the 79th minute though. It was a culmination of Punjab FC's ploy to drag Bengaluru FC's defence wide and exploit 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 evening. Bheke had been a formidable presence inside the box throughout the game and that yielded the required 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 the contest. Punjab FC, yet, didn't let their guards down and instead stayed patient in absorbing waves of pressure and spotting the right moment to hit Bengaluru FC on the counter-attack. Deep into the added time of the second half, they executed one such flawless fast break that Majcen rounded off. Nihal Sudheesh'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. Suljic completed 16 out of his 19 attempted passes, making two crosses, producing a couple of goal-scoring chances, and converting his spot-kick with ease to round off a convincing outing. Bengaluru FC will play next against Jamshedpur FC on February 9, whereas Punjab FC are set to feature against Mohun Bagan Super Giant on February 5. (ANI)
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