Bhubaneswar : Odisha FC suffered a narrow defeat in their first away match against Punjab FC on Friday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. The match saw R. Kumar scored own goal for Odisha FC in stoppage time (90+5’), while Punjab FC’s Nihal Sudheesh (28’) and Leon Augustine (89’) found the net.
In the 5th minute, Amay Ranawade delivered a long pass to Roy Krishna after winning the ball from Bakenga, but Novoselec intercepted just in time to prevent a scoring opportunity.
Odisha FC created another chance in the 11th minute when Ranawade sent a powerful cross from the right towards Diego Mauricio, but Punjab keeper Ravi Kumar managed to collect the ball. The home team took the lead in the 28th minute as Nihal Sudheesh fired a thunderous strike into the bottom right corner of the net. PFC 1-0 OFC
Sergio Lobera made triple substitutions for the second half, bringing on Ahmed Jahouh, Jerry, and Rahim Ali for Isak Ralte, Diego Mauricio and Raynier. In the 49th minute, Fall made a vital clearance to deny Punjab FC a goal. In the 56th minute, Hugo’s corner was cleared, but Fall headed the rebound into the box, though no one could finish the chance.
In the 68th minute, Hugo fired a shot from outside the box that just sailed over the crossbar. A key moment followed in the 77th minute when Thoiba made an impressive goal-line clearance after Fall’s tackle. Moments later, in the 79th minute, Fall had a clear header at goal, but it unfortunately missed the target.
Punjab FC extended their lead in the 89th minute when Leon Augustine gathered the ball near the halfway line and surged toward the goal, firing a shot past Amrinder, who couldn’t make the save. PFC 2-0 OFC
The Kalinga Warriors scored in stoppage time (90+5’), Hugo Boumous hit the left post with a right-footed shot from outside the box, assisted by Amay Ranawade. The ball deflected off the Punjab goalkeeper and resulted in an own goal. PFC 2-1 OFC
Odisha FC will make their return to Bhubaneswar for their second home match on September 28, 2024, with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 PM.