Ten men NorthEast United defeated Punjab FC 2-1 in a tightly fought Indian Super League (ISL) encounter played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Saturday. Ivan Novoselec scored deep into the second half for Punjab FC.
Here are the key talking points from the match:
Fast-paced game
The game was played at a frantic pace as both sides went into full-on attacking mode from the first whistle. Luka Majcen had the first effort on goal which was blocked by Miguel Zabaco. On the other end, Alaaeddine Ajaraie tested Ravi Kumar on goal but his effort went straight to the keeper.
Guillermo and Albiach put NEUFC ahead
The Highlanders capitalized on some loose defending and scored twice in the space of three minutes stunning the home side. Ajaraie foxed Abhishek in the left wing and the Moroccan crossed the ball into the vacant six-yard box for Guillermo Fernandez to get ahead of Ivan Novoselec to tap into an empty net. NorthEast doubled the lead in the next move through a first-time volleyed finish by Nestor Albiach.
Missed chances for Punjab FC
Punjab FC dominated the game after NorthEast United FC took a 2-0 lead and created a whole lot of chances but the forward line could not capitalize on them. The Shers were creating chances from every move but the finishing was lacking frustrating the side. Pulga Vidal’s attempt at the end of a good move down the right hit the crossbar increasing the home side’s frustrations. Punjab were given a lifeline at the end of the first half when North defender Dinesh Singh was sent off for his second yellow card offence.
Ivan Novoseelec strikes
Punjab came into the second half with renewed vigour putting out an all-out attack against the ten men of NorthEast. Luka forced a fine save out of Gurmeet Singh in the first attempt of the second half. Punjab had all the possession as NorthEast were happy to sit back and defend, protecting their two-goal lead. Gurmeet remained solid in goal for NorthEast thwarting multiple efforts from Punjab.
The goal came finally in the 88th minute. Substitute Ninthoi made light work in the right wing and his cross found Asmir Suljic in the far post. The Hungarian’s first-time effort was saved by Gurmeet but the rebound fell kindly for Ivan Novoselec who was playing high up the field. The Croatian made no mistake tapping the ball inside the goal.
Punjab pushed hard for the equaliser but could not find the equaliser even after multiple attempts.
NorthEast United move up the ladder
With this hard-earned win, NorthEast United moved to second place in the table momentarily with 15 points while Punjab FC remained in sixth with 12 points, despite missing the services of Bemmamer as coach Juan Pedro Benali lined his team in an attacking 4-3-3 formation.
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