It was business as usual so far for Panagiotis Dilmperis’ side, as Punjab FC ousted Hyderabad FC in a 2-0 victory at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to keep their unbeaten start to the season alive on Wednesday.
Having secured three wins out of three, the Shers now sit at the top of the league table currently, with nine points. Goals from Ezequiel Vidal and Filip Mrzljak helped the Shers tame Hyderabad FC at home.
Needing a win to open their account for the current ISL campaign, one would have expected Hyderabad to come out of the gates with hunger and a sense of urgency to set the tone. But, none of the same would happen as the visitors were bullied by the Shers all through the game.
There was no real competition in the first half as Punjab dominated on most fronts, controlling the tempo, and surgically slicing through the Hyderabad midfield consistently to menace the visitors.
The likes of Nihal, Vidal and Mrzjlak toyed with the Nawabs’ defense at will, making runs galore into their final third, and peppering shots from point-blank range at Arshdeep Singh, who held his ground well to deny the two of easy goals as they went into the half-hour break.
But, Hyderabad’s luck as a whole would run out in the 35th minute, as the Argentine Vidal slotted an absolute pearler of a freekick from outside the box into the bottom corner, beating a poor Arshdeep in front of goal and giving Punjab their much-deserved breakthrough to open the scoring.
Hyderabad’s frustration wouldn’t end there just yet, as they would fail to build on their runs into the final third of the Shers, lacking composure and patience in the moments seemingly. But much credit has to be relayed to the back four of Punjab, who looked rock solid and maintained their calm throughout, clearing every cross that came into the box, as they made keeper Ravi Kumar’s life easier.
In a front three that thrived against the visitors, it would be Bakenga, who’d gone goalless so far for the home side, who would stick out like a sore thumb, seemingly out of it with most of the build-up play and missing out on a handful of solid chances as the first half came to an end.
The Nawabs would regain a bit of their confidence and come into the second half with a newfound confidence, overwhelming the Shers’ midfield with sheer numbers and a high press to consistently push into the final third in search of the equalizer.
But, through the entire period, Punjab would stick to their guns, hold their positions, and defend with poise and urgency, as the backline looked as solid as ever.
The momentum though would swing in favor of the home side yet again with the addition of substitute Leon Augustine, who would add a much-needed injection of pace into the Shers’ frontline, as the winger would dribble through the left flank with ease, involving himself in some meticulous passing play with the likes of Mrzjlak.
Hyderabad’s hopes would finally sink in the 71st minute, as Punjab would hit them on the counter, and Mrzjlak would convert on a deflection off Bakenga’s blown opportunity in front of goal to tap it in and double the Shers’ lead.
To add insult to injury to an already frustrated Hyderabad, HFC’s Leander would go on to get sent off in the 78th minute after picking up his second yellow for a rash tackle on Abhimeitei, as the visitors went down to 10 men with a little over 10 minutes to go.
As expected next, Punjab went on to hoard the ball and pester Hyderabad’s Arshdeep Singh with attempts on goal galore, as whoever so pleased had their go. But, the Nawabs’ keeper would stand tall as the game finally drew to an end with Punjab FC notching their third consecutive win of the season so far to go top of the table.
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