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Punjab FC looked far from their best as East Bengal completed the double over the Shers with a 1-3 win at the JLN Stadium in New Delhi.
ISL 2024-25: East Bengal FC beat Punjab FC. (X)
Punjab FC suffered a crushing 1-3 defeat to East Bengal FC with Dimitrios Diamantakos, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Lal Chungnunga and Ezequiel Vidal getting on the scoresheet in the Indian Super League 2024-25 clash that took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
It was all about the Red and Gold Brigade who dominated once again. Their left-winger, Messi Bouli was particularly impressive as the Shers struggled to keep the Cameroonian forward at bay for most of the fixture.
Diamantakos opened the scoring thanks to a fine through ball by PV Vishnu for the Greek striker to find the net in the 15th minute. The striker was running clear on the left side and was able to get one through the keeper with his left foot for the opening goal of the match.
Punjab’s first-half display was far from their best to say the least. The side struggled to stitch plays together and even lacked the final pass which saw the visitors keep most of the possession.
The second half started with the visitors doubling their lead as Mahesh Singh got the goal thanks to a fine set up by Vishnu once again. The Shers once again made big changes by bringing in Luka Majcen and Nihal Sudheesh to refresh the attacking unit.
But it looked to be in vain as EBFC took their third goal thanks to a fine setup by Bouli who gave a quick pass which conveniently deflected to Chuchunga who smashed it to the net. The hosts did not look to back down despite the unassailable lead here as they redeemed themselves with the goal as Vidal hammered one right outside the box to get the Shers first goal of the game in the 62nd minute.
The rest of the game saw a back and forth contest between the two sides. Neither team was able to capitalise on their chances due to mistimed passes or just inaccurate balls coming in. Nonetheless, Oscar Barerras will be pleased with getting the double over Punjab but questions have to be asked on Panagiotis Dilmperis’ strategy of leaving his star players for the second half.
After the referee blew the final whistle, several players looked distraught by their game. Shoulders down, the team looked demoralised and it remains to be seen if the side can get back to their best form to close out the season on a high with three games to go.
Both Punjab FC and East Bengal FC share 24 points each in the 21 games played but the Shers take the 11th spot while the visitors take 10 thanks to goal difference.
