Bengaluru FC fought their way with 10 men to beat Punjab FC 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday to take all three points and stay unbeaten in the Indian Super League 2024-25 season. (Highlights | More Football News)
The hard-fought win solidifies Bengaluru's number one position in the league as they now have a four point lead at the top. The Blues now have four wins and a draw in their five outings. Punjab FC, on the other hand, faced their first defeat of the tournament after three straight wins saw the Shers open their ISL 2024-25 campaign on a high.
Bengaluru looked the stronger side from the beginning and after a few chances found the goal which would turn out to be the winner. Left-back Naorem Roshan Singh found the net with a stunning shot just a couple of minutes before the half-time.
Bengaluru FC came out all guns blazing in the second half too but could not double their lead. The twist in the tale came in the 58th minute when Chinglensana Singh was given marching orders after a second yellow card. With Bengaluru reduced to 10 men, Punjab started to find gaps.
The Shers tried but could not find the equaliser and Bengaluru goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu managed to keep his fifth straight clean sheet of the season. Sandhu thus created the record for most minutes without conceding from the start of an ISL season (481 minutes and counting). The Blues bettered the previous record set by Jamshedpur FC (389 minutes at the start of 2017-18 season).
Bengaluru FC will now travel to Kochi to face Kerala Blasters on October 25. Punjab FC on the other hand, will return to action on October 31, against Chennaiyin FC at home.
