Punjab FC secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Chennaiyin FC in their Indian Super League encounter on Wednesday, with the decisive moment arriving through a late own goal in a contest that produced very few clear-cut opportunities.
The breakthrough came in the 84th minute from a Punjab corner, ending a tense and closely-fought match in unfortunate fashion for the visitors. Attempting to mark Punjab midfielder Suresh Meitei inside the box, Chennaiyin’s Lalrinliana Hnamte was caught unaware as Daniel Ramirez’s delivery struck him before finding the back of the net. Facing away from goal at the time, Hnamte had little chance to react as the ball deflected in past his own goalkeeper.
The result lifted Punjab to sixth place in the ISL standings with 18 points from 10 matches, strengthening the club’s push in the top half of the table. Chennaiyin, meanwhile, remained stuck in 12th position with only nine points from its campaign so far.
Despite the narrow scoreline, Punjab looked the more dangerous side throughout the evening. Enjoying nearly 60 per cent possession, the hosts controlled large portions of the game and consistently threatened through the creativity of Spanish attacking midfielder Daniel Ramirez, who was at the centre of most of Punjab’s attacking moves.
Punjab created the first major opening in the 11th minute when Ramirez produced a clever pass to set up Bede Osuji in front of goal. Osuji appeared destined to score, only for defender Pritam Kotal to make a vital clearance off the line and keep Chennaiyin level.
Ramirez continued to trouble the opposition defence midway through the first half. In the 25th minute, he delivered a perfectly-weighted pass to Nsungusi Effiong on the left side of the attack. However, Chennaiyin goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz reacted quickly by rushing off his line and narrowing the angle, preventing Effiong from getting a clear attempt on goal.
Chennaiyin struggled to create meaningful opportunities but nearly found a breakthrough a minute later. Irfan Yadwad delivered a pass into the penalty area that found Hnamte in a promising position. The midfielder, however, failed to capitalize after a heavy first touch allowed the chance to slip away.
As the match appeared destined for a draw, Punjab finally found the decisive moment late on, albeit in fortunate circumstances, to seal all three points at home.
