Punjab FC dominated in their second match of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 as well and thrashed Odisha FC 2-1 in match 8 at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. (As It Happened | More Football News)
Nihal Sudeesh scored his first goal of the season in the 28th minute to give the Shers lead in the first half. A brilliant pass from his teammate put him in a decent position to shoot for the goal and he did exactly that. The ball missed the Odisha FC keeper Amrinder and hit the crossbar then crossed the line inside the goalpost.
The 23-year-old Punjab FC forward was near to scoring his second goal as well when his kick touched the crossbar in the 82nd minute and denied him his brace in the game. But Leon Augustine soon picked up a goal to put Punjab FC in the driver's seat.
Augustine's goal came in the 89th minute and the Shers were leading with 2-0 in the game. Then seven minutes were added to the game before the final whistle. And both teams started afresh in the game.
Sudeesh was substituted and Punjab FC players started to waste their opponent's time. With only two minutes left for the final whistle, Ravi Kumar's kick found the net and Odisha FC were back in the game.
Ravi Kumar was in pain before the ball came to him but he still went for the kick and his kick put the Juggernauts on the verge of a draw. But that was a very tough task. Punjab FC players started to tackle and avoid the passes and wasted time as only two minutes were left.
Soon, the referee blew the final whistle and Punjab FC were declared the winner of the match. With this victory, they climbed to the second place in the points table.
Odisha FC, on the other hand, remained winless in the new season and is in 12th place with zero points. Bengaluru FC are leading the points table with six points.
Punjab FC will face Hyderabad FC in the next ISL match on Wednesday, 25th September at the same venue. The Kalinga Warriors will take on Jamshedpur FC in their next ISL match on Saturday, 28th September in Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium.
