ISL 2023: Fighting Punjab Football Club felled by Roy Krishna strike, Odisha win 1-0

Odisha FC moved up to third in the pecking order with a 1-0 win over Punjab Football Club (PFC) in an Indian Super League (ISL) game here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Odisha’s Fijian striker Roy Krishna, got the all-important goal in the 21^st minute of the game for the Juggernauts, as the Shers broke a three-game unbeaten run.

The result means Odisha FC now have 21 points from 11 matches, while Punjab Football Club remain on eight after a dozen games.

Sergio Lobera, the Odisha gaffer began on the front foot with his two leading marksmen Krishna and Brazilian Diego Mauricio starting the game together. Punjab FC Head Coach, the Greek Staikos Vergetis on the other hand, started with Serbian striker Luka Majcen as the lone man upfront with Colombian Wilmar Jordan Gil on the bench.

Juan Mera had the first attempt for the home side and that of the game, turning his marker after driving inside the box for a curler with his left, but it was off-target. In the 18^th Samuel Lyngdoh latched onto a cross on the other side of the Odisha box this time, but his volley was too feeble to trouble Amrinder in the Odisha goal.

The Juggernauts seemed to have been now spurred enough and responded immediately with a corner of their own. Then Princeton Rebello put Isak in with a through on the left and the winger found the run of Roy Krishna, who finished expertly past keeper Ravi Kumar under the PFC bar.

The hosts stung by the reverse against the run of play, did try hard for the equalizer with Lyngdoh (27^th min) and Frenchman Madih Talal (41^st and 44^th), misdirecting as many as three attempts before the half drew to a close.

The game continued to drift in the second half as well with Odisha controlling proceedings and Vergetis brought on a triple substitution in the 67^th, including Wilmar for a final push. Try as Punjab might however, it was proving difficult to get past an organized Odisha defense.

There were five minutes added on after regulation time and Odisha held on to pick up a valuable three points.