Punjab held their nerve to beat Bengaluru 5-4 on penalties and book their place in the semi-finals after the two teams finished goalless in normal time in their last Super Cup Group C match here on Wednesday.
Punjab and Bengaluru finished on seven points each, with two wins and a draw to their name. Since both teams had the same points, goal difference (six), and goals scored (six), the winner of Group C was decided by a penalty shootout.
All five of Punjab FC’s penalty takers – Nsongsi Effiong, Princeton Rebelo, Samir Željkovic, Leon Augustin and Vineet Rai – found the back of the net, while Ryan Williams failed to score for Bengaluru.
Suresh Singh Wangjam, Rahul Beg, Sunil Chhetri and Brian Sanchez scored from the penalty spot for the Blues.
This was the Shears’ first Super Cup semi-final appearance.
Punjab made two early attempts, but Effiong lacked the required control in the area after playing out from behind the Bengaluru defence.
The Sheers began to dictate terms, enjoying long spells of possession on Bengaluru’s half-hour after the quarter-hour mark.
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Ninthoinganba Meetei looked particularly lively down the left flank. His run in the 28th minute created the first shot on goal for Punjab, as the winger cut in from the left flank, passing it to Daniel Ramires, whose shot from outside the box lacked power and was easily smothered by Bengaluru goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Bengaluru, after withstanding the onslaught, began to create chances of their own and came close to scoring in the 35th minute, when Sanchez’s cross from the right flank dipped towards the goal, forcing Punjab goalkeeper Mohit Shabbir to make a smart save when he tipped it over the bar.
From the next corner, Blues defender Chinglinsana Singh Kuncham was able to break free from his marker, but could only put his header over the bar.
Ninthoi made another run down the left in first-half stoppage time. He put himself in a good position to send in a low cross that was left by Effiong after initially lunging at the ball. This allowed Leon Augustin to rush in with a shot that he sent over the crossbar.
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Punjab came out just as strong after changing sides as well, although their real chances were mostly limited to set-pieces. Ramirez’s corner kick in the 58th minute found Effiong unmarked at the far post, but the Nigerian striker’s header looked painful.
Bengaluru coach Gerard Zaragoza rolled the dice first, bringing Sunil Chhetri and Ashik Kuruniyan into the fray, changing the momentum of the match. The Blues then enjoyed long periods of possession, looking to secure their way into the semi-finals.
Ashiki was put on the left flank in the 68th minute, when a perfect cross found Chhetri lurking unmarked in the Punjab penalty area. With time and space, and only a goalkeeper present, the striker shot the ball wide of the goal.
Bengaluru won a number of corner kicks in the final five minutes, and it was not until stoppage time that they came close to scoring again. A corner kick taken by Vineeth Venkatesh found defender Rahul Behe, who headed it wide of the goal, and the referee quickly blew his whistle, sending the match into a penalty shootout.
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In another Group C match played in Bambolim, Gokulam Kerala won 3-0 over Mohammedan Sports Club.
Albert Torras scored the first goal in the 28th minute, and Samuel Lindo doubled the lead early in the second half.
A few minutes before the end of the match, substitute Juan Carlos Rico added the third goal to secure his team’s victory and raise the team to third place in the group table, with the two teams’ campaign ending.
(Tags for translation)Super Cup
