Kerala Blaster’s coach Ashley Westwood.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

Hmingthanmawia Ralte celebrates after scoring Mumbai City’s opener against Punjab FC in their final leagure fixture of the Indian Super League in at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
| Photo Credit: x@MumbaiCityFC

Three second half goals in 10 minutes saw Punjab FC beat Zinc Football Academy 3-0 and successfully defend their AIFF Elite Youth League 2025-26 title on Tuesday (April 28, 2026). Photo: X@IndianFootball

East Bengal SC mounted a stunning comeback victory, scoring four goals in 22 minutes in the second half to come from a two-goal deficit and secure a 4-2 victory against Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season which was played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Asmir Suljic and Pulga Vidal’s goals gave Punjab a comfortable position after the end of the first half but goals from Hijazi Maher, P.V. Vishnu, David Hmar, and an own goal from Suresh Meitei completed the comeback for the home side. Punjab remain in fifth position with 18 points from 11 matches while East Bengal have 10 points from the same number of matches and are in 11th position in the table.

Ravi Kumar returned in goal for The Shers as Panagiotis Dilmperis made three changes to the starting eleven. Khaimingthang Lhungdim returned in the right-back position in place of Leon Augustine while Asmir Suljic started in midfield in place of the injured Filip Mrzljak. Oscar Bruzon with limited options in midfield started with Anwar Ali to protect the defense of Hector Yuste and Hijazi Maher. David Lalhlansanga led the attack line with Cleiton Silva, Naorem Mahesh Singh, and Nandhakumar Sekar starting alongside him.

Both sides took their time to settle into the game and once the game opened up, it was Punjab who pinned East Bengal by dominating the middle of the pitch. Punjab used the long passes to good effect with Luka Majcen and Asmir Suljic always willing to run behind the high line of the Red and Gold Brigade defence. On the other end, David Hmar found the net with a neat finish from a free kick but was ruled out for offside.

The Shers took the lead in the 21st minute from a well-worked goal. Pulga Vidal obliged to the run of Asmir into the box and expertly found the Hungarian who took it on the volley and finished past Prabhsukhan Gill for his third goal of the season. Punjab grew in confidence as the game went on as they opened up the East Bengal defence with ease.

They could have doubled the advantage as Luka found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper but Prabhsukhan denied the Slovenian with an outstretched leg. The rebound fell on the path of Nihal but his attempt was blocked by Lalchungnunga. On the other end, Cleiton Silva created space for himself on the edge of the box, but the attempt was weak.

Pulga Vidal doubled the away side’s advantage with a splendid finish. He received the ball from a simple throw in and he completely floored Anwar Ali with a drop of a shoulder and in one turn drilled the ball past the goalkeeper into the far corner of the goal.

East Bengal mounted a stunning comeback and scored three goals within 22 minutes from the start of the second half. Hijazi Maher rose the highest to a Cleiton Silva free kick and planted his header in the goal past the outstretched hands of Ravi Kumar.

The second-half substitute then equalised within seven minutes. Suresh Meitei’s headed clearance fell on the path of Vishnu and the winger finished it past the on-rushing Ravi Kumar and Suresh on the line. East Bengal took the lead through an own goal six minutes later. Nandhakumar’s low cross from the right wing was deflected into his own goal by Suresh who got his feet tangled.

Things got worse for The Shers when Khaimingthing Lhungdim was sent off for his second yellow card offence. East Bengal took good use of the man advantage and scored a fourth through David Hmar. Vishnu P.V. was once again the provider as his curling cross was met by a diving David Hmar whose header found the bottom corner to send the Salt Lake Stadium into a frenzy.

The 10 men of Punjab FC tried to muster something in the remaining quarter of the match but could not create much as East Bengal managed the game well. Pulga Vidal missed a couple of chances to score one back but Prabhsukhan Gill closed the gap well and kept the score intact to secure their third win in four matches.

Punjab FC will face Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their next fixture on Boxing Day (December 26) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

— IANS

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Action from Punjab FC vs NorthEast United© NorthEast United FC

FC Goa maintained their excellent form.© X/@IndSuperLeague

Following their emphatic win, Punjab FC now sit at the top of the ISL table.© X/@IndSuperLeague

Bengaluru FC will face defending champions Mohun Bagan in the second semifinal of the Durand Cup after the two teams secured contrasting wins in their respective last-eight clashes on Friday. While Mohun Bagan edged past Punjab FC 6-5 in tie-breaker after both sides ended 3-3 in regulation time, a late injury-time goal by Pererya Diaz ensured a 1-0 win for the Blues over Kerala Blasters in another quarterfinals. In a match where fortune swung like a pendulum, it was Luca Majcen who gave Punjab FC the lead in the 17th minute courtesy a spot-kick but Suhail Bhat (44th) and Manvir Singh (48th) put the green and maroon brigade ahead at the start of the second half.

Punjab were up 3-2 by the 71st minute with Filip Mrzljak (63rd) and Norberto Ezequiel Vidal (71st) finding the back of the net.

However, Aussie star Jason Cummings restored parity in the 79th minute to take the game into the extra time.

In the tie-breaker, Cummings missed Bagan’s first spot-kick but Punjab’s Croatian defender Novoselec was stopped by Mariners keeper Vishal Kaith from converting the fifth kick when they were on cusp of victory. It was Greg Stewart who promptly brought Bagan back on level terms.

As sudden death kicked in, Melroy Assisi converted for the Shers and so did Subhashish Bose and Aldred with the winning kick for MBSG, but Vishal’s second save, this time off Denechandram Meetei, turned decisive in the end.

Among Bagan’s other scorers in the tie-breaker were Manvir, Liston Colaco and Dimi Petratos while Vinit Rai, Vidal, Bakenga and Mrzljak scored for the losers.

The other match at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan started on a tense note when Kerala Blasters’ goalkeeper Som Kumar clashed heads with Bengaluru’s striker Pererya Diaz, forcing the Tuskers’s coach to make an early substitution and bringing in backup goalkeeper Sachin.

The first half was a display of tactical play, with both sides testing each other’s defences but failing to break the deadlock.

Bengaluru FC dominated possession, but despite their control, they couldn’t capitalise, with only one of their six shots on target.

Kerala Blasters came close to scoring in the 26th minute, but Blues’ goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied the effort from Noah Wail Sadaoui.

The second half saw the Blues pushing forward aggressively, but they were unable to convert their opportunities. A notable chance came in the 56th minute, but Pererya Diaz failed to connect with a cross from Shivaldo.

Bengaluru continued to dominate possession, yet their efforts were consistently thwarted by a resilient Kerala defence.

Sunil Chhetri‘s introduction in the 67th minute added more pressure on Kerala Blasters, but both teams struggled to find a decisive moment.

In the dying moments of injury time, Bengaluru was awarded a free-kick just outside the box.

Chhetri’s attempt was blocked by the wall, leading to a corner. From that corner, Pererya Diaz finally broke the deadlock, slotting the ball into the near post in the 94th minute to seal the win for Bengaluru FC.

In the first semifinal, Northeast United FC will face Shillong Lajong FC in Shillong on Saturday.

Indian Super League club Punjab FC on Tuesday announced the signing of Argentine midfielder Norberto Ezequiel Vidal as the fifth foreign signing for the 2024-25 season.

The Argentine player last featured for Indonesian top-flight side Persita Tangerang.

The 29-year-old was born in Bahia Blanca in Argentina and primarily plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger.

He started his professional career in 2011 with Club Olimpo in his hometown. He spent eight years with the club and appeared 45 times, scoring on three occasions.

He was loaned out to Atletico Independiente in Argentina, Delfin SC in Ecuador and Atletico Juventud in Uruguay.

In 2019, he signed for Argentine Primera B side San Martin SJ and in the following year represented Atletico Alvarado, scoring five times in 37 appearances.

He had a short stint with Independiente Rivadavia before signing for Indonesian side Persita Tangerang in 2022. He played for two seasons in the club and scored 17 goals in 60 appearances.

Speaking about the signing, technical director of Punjab FC, Nikolaos Topoliatis said, “He is an exciting player who will add more speed and creativity to our midfield.”