Jamshedpur FC vs Punjab FC. (Courtesy: ISL)
Punjab FC suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Jamshedpur FC in Round 15 of the Indian Super League 2023-24 season which was played here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Daniel Chima Chukwu gave the The Red Miners the lead in the first half and Sanan Mohammed doubled the lead in the second half. The game was put to bed with two direct free kicks by Jeremy Manzorro within the space of three minutes.
Punjab FC Head Coach Staikos Vergetis made three changes to his starting lineup with wingbacks Khaimingthang Lhungdim and Nitesh Darjee replacing Tekcham Abhishek Singh and Mohammed Salah. Ricky Shabong came in place of Amarjit Singh Kiyam in the centre of the midfield trio. Jamshedpur FC Head Coach Khalid Jamil named a strong lineup with Elsinho, Rei Tachikawa and Daniel Chima Chukwu leading the attack.
The match started at an electric pace with both teams missing chances on both ends. Rei Tachikawa missed a sitter while Wilmar Jordan could not put the finishing touches to a good team move. Jamshedpur FC took the lead, capitalizing on the error from the defence. Chima Chukwu took a touch and finished easily past Ravi Kumar. Punjab FC were awarded a penalty in the very next minute as Luka was brought down, but the PFC captain could not convert the resultant spot kick. The home side continued to pile on the pressure to find the equalizer and were creating a lot of chances but failed to convert them. Ricky Shabong, Wilmar Jordan and Luka came close to scoring but could not find the net. Punjab FC went into the half frustrated as they could not score even with having 10 shots on goal.
Punjab FC carried the momentum into the second half, keeping possession for the most part and troubling the Jamshedpur defence but it was Jamshedpur who increased their lead in the 63rd minute. PFC goalkeeper Ravi Kumar could not control a shot from Jeremy Manzorro as his save fell into the path of Sanan who finished past the onrushing keeper. The Shers pushed hard to effect the game towards them but a late Jeremy Manzorro show finished the game off. The French midfielder who was the best Jamshedpur player by far on the day, scored two direct free kicks from identical positions in the same manner in the space of three minutes to put the game beyond PFC. Jamshedpur FC saw off the rest of the match to secure their second consecutive victory.
Punjab FC remained in ninth position with 14 points from 15 matches while Jamshedpur FC moved up to sixth position with 17 points from 16 matches. Punjab FC will face Hyderabad FC on 27th February at GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad.
