Hyderabad: Punjab FC defeated Hyderabad FC by 2-0 at the Gachibowli Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on Tuesday. The team thus secured their third win in four games since the resumption of the season late last month, jumping to the 10th spot in the table.
As has been the norm throughout this campaign, the duo of Madih Talal and Luka Majcen pulled the league debutants past the finishing line, assisting each other’s goals whilst the visitors worked diligently to secure a clean sheet.
Interestingly, Hyderabad FC was pretty much involved in the proceedings in either half, coming touchingly close to breaking the deadlock multiple times, primarily thanks to Makan Chothe. Chothe had taken the shot that deflected off, producing Hyderabad FC’s first goal after five games in their clash against Bengaluru FC in their previous match. However, Punjab FC goalkeeper Ravi Kumar, who made two saves, held his line to help his side from conceding any goal in this away clash.
Contrastingly, Punjab FC optimised the limited chances they created, with Talal and Majcen leading the charge. The Slovenian was the first to find the back of the net, positioning appropriately on the left side of the post to pounce upon and head in a short cross by Talal, who curled in the delivery from the edge of the box in the 45th minute of the game.
That strike arguably provided Punjab FC positive momentum in the second half, and they kept exploring their options with the help of the duo of striker Wilmar Jordan Gil. In the 56th minute, Gil held the ball strongly, before a series of events led to Majcen laying the ball in the path of Talal outside the box on the left flank. Talal chose to test his luck from a distance instead of building the attack up, with his fierce shot racing past Laxmikant Kattimani to bring up the team’s second and final goal.
On the other hand, Hyderabad FC will regret missing the 10 shots that they attempted, out of which eight of them led to off-target, whereas only two of them tested Ravi Kumar. Nevertheless, their search for their first win of the campaign continues.
Punjab FC’s next match is against Mumbai City FC on March 2, whereas Hyderabad FC will square off against NorthEast United FC on March 4.
Brief Scores
Punjab FC 2 (Luka Majcen 45’, Madih Talal 56’) - 0 Hyderabad FC
