ISL 2023-24, PFC 4-1 EBFC highlights: East Bengal out of playoff race after defeat against Punjab, Chennaiyin FC qualifies

East Bengal’s playoff hopes are over after succumbing to a 4-1 loss against Punjab FC. This result means that Chennaiyin FC qualifies for the playoffs. 

Five minutes added at the end of the second-half!

PFC subs: IN- Kingslee, Lynghdoh OUT - Talal, Majcen 

Talal shows his vision to find Majcen again, with the latter timing his run to perfection. Making his way inside the box, he loses his footing just when he is about to take the shot. The danger is still there as he takes a shot while down on the ground and it the effort is on target. It would have been a fifth for Punjab, if not for a brilliant goalline clearance from Khabra. 

Talal threads the ball to Bidyashagar, who had made a run inside the box. The latter goes for a first-time shot but skies his effort. 

PFC subs: IN - Bidyashagar, Tavora OUT- Jordan, Kipgen 

EBFC subs: IN- Pantic, Mahitosh OUT- Vazquez, Mahesh 

East Bengal’s playoff hopes all but gone as it concedes a fourth. Talal has time and space to run inside the East Bengal final third. He combines with Majcen, and sets the latter up for a shot. Majcen sees the opening and lashes the ball inside the net for Punjab’s fourth. 

Shyamal shoots from distance but it is a disappointing effort as the ball sails above the Punjab goal. 

Cleiton Silva had the opportunity to pull a goal back from Mahesh’s cross but he cannot keep his header down, as the ball goes out of play. 

EBFC sub: IN- Felicio OUT- Hijazi 

Talal is at the heart of the proceedings again and he finds Jordan with an excellent cross from the right flank. Jordan shows his class by going for a first-time finish and rattling top corner. 

Talal gets the ball and he makes a run at goal again. Hijazi is out of position and he cannot get to the ball. Talal tries to chip the ball inside the net but misses the target. 

It is another talismanic run from Talal as he charges towards goal. He is under pressure but manages to keep the ball initially. Just when he decides to take the shot, the ball comes under his feet and the Frenchman loses possession. 

East Bengal tries to work out a short corner but the move doesn’t come off. Vazquez tries to salvage the situation with a low cross inside the box but it is cleared easily. 

PFC booking: Nikhil gets a yellow card for his ill-timed challenge on Saul. 

Aman gets past Salah and flashes a cross across the face of the goal. Mahesh comes rushing in but he cannot get the telling touch. The ball falls to Nishu, who goes for the shot but his effort is blocked. 

Majcen puts the ball inside the net but the goal is disallowed after the assistant referee raises his flag for offside. Majcen is convinced that he was not and argues with the referee but the goal stays disallowed. 

EBFC booking: Saul Crespo sees a yellow card for his challenge on Talal. 

Jordan sends Ricky on the run with a through ball. Venturing inside the box, Ricky should have ideally gone for a first-time shot but he takes a touch and tries to take the ball on his stronger right foot, and ends up losing the ball in the process. 

EBFC subs: IN- Aman, Shyamal OUT- Sayan, Vishnu 

Punjab FC leads East Bengal 2-1 as the second half kicks-off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Red and Gold out of playoff race as things stand. 

Goals from Jordan and Talal gives Punjab FC a 2-1 lead against East Bengal at the break. If the scores stay like this, East Bengal will be out of the playoff race. It needs to win this match to extend its season. 

Talal gets inside the box again and finds Jordan. Jordan tries to find the perfect opening but cannot do so and the chance is gone. Majcen shoots from distance but does not hit the target. 

Jordan finds Talal with the cutback and the Frenchman shoots at the goal again. This time, he does not hit the target but comes close to scoring his second. 

Two minutes added at the end of the first-half!

It is a brilliant run by Talal, as he gets inside the East Bengal box. The Red and Gold defenders cannot respond in time as the Frenchman cuts in and shoots at the near-post. His shot flies to the roof of the net, with Kamaljit getting a hand but not being able to stop it. That was poor keeping from Kamlajit there. 

Hijazi prevents Ravi Kumar from releasing the ball quickly. Kumar shoves Hijazi on the chest and the player goes down. Luckily for him, he just gets a ticking-off by referee Crystal John. On another day, that could have been a penalty. 

East Bengal works the ball well between the lines. Mahesh gets the ball inside the box and goes for a shot at the near-post, which is blocked by Melroy. 

EBFC booking: Rakip sees a yellow card for clipping the ankles of Talal. 

Talal puts in a dangerous cross inside the box from the left and almost finds Majcen. But Hijazi is there to make the interception and send the ball out for a corner. If the ball had reached Majcen, it would have been a simple tap-in. 

Nishu tries to find Cleiton with a chipped cross from the left but the cross is too high for the Brazilian. 

A draw is not enough for East Bengal to keep its play-off hopes alive. It needs all three points from this match. If the scores stays 1-1, then Chennaiyin FC will qualify. 

The match resume after its first cooling break. 

Sayan goes down after taking a knock on his left knee. He is hobbling after some medical attention but by the looks of it, can continue for now. 

Sayan has produced a screamer just when his team needed it. He snatches the ball from Salah and goes for an inspiring run, skipping past a couple of challenges. Reaching the edge of the box, he opens the face of his boot and goes for a finesse shot. The connection is incredible and the ball rattles the net. 

Nishu takes too much time in releasing the ball and in the end, his shot is blocked and ends up with Ravi Kumar. 

Punjab launches a counter attack, with Jordan leading the charge. He gets inside the box and tries to squeeze a shot at the near-post but Hijazi does well to make the block. 

Victor Vazquez picks out Sayan with an inch-perfect cross ball inside the box. Sayan, completely unmarked, times his run well and gets to the ball. He tries to toe-poke the ball inside the net, but misses the target. 

Kipgen makes a run down the right flank and finds Jordan with a nice cutback. Jordan goes for a first-time shot and finds the far-corner with an impressive finish. Kamaljit had dived but could not get to the ball. 

East Bengal is keeping the ball well and trying to break down Punjab with a patient buildup. Neither team has been able to create any significant chances as of now. 

Talal and Jordan combine, with the former finding the latter with a quick pass. Joran tries to shoot on the turn from the edge of the East Bengal box but his shot is blocked by Hijazi. 

A cross comes inside the East Bengal box from the left, Jordan tries to get at the end of the cross but the ball is too high for him. Hijazi does well to keep Jordan under pressure. 

The ball ricochets off a Punjab player and Nishu Kumar gets it inside the box. He tries to cut in and aim for the far-corner. But his effort is blocked by Melroy. 

A decent start from both teams. It has mainly been a midfield battle till now, with neither team creating any substantial chance. 

The ISL 2023-24 league match between Punjab FC and East Bengal is underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. 

Played – 1

Punjab FC – 0

East Bengal FC – 0

Draws – 1

Punjab FC: Ravi Kumar; Tekcham Singh, Melroy Assisi, Dimitrios Chatziisaias, Mohammed Salah; Ricky Shabong, Nikhil Prabhu, Amarjit Singh Kiyam; Luka Majcen, Madih Talal, Wilmar Jordan 

East Bengal: Kamaljit Singh; Md Rakip, Hijazi Maher, Lalchungnunga, Nishu Kumar; Victor Vazquez, Aman CK, Saul Crespo; PV Vishnu, Cleiton Silva, Naorem Mahesh

East Bengal FC and Punjab FC will embark on their final league fixture of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season when they lock horns at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on April 10, Wednesday, at 7:30 pm IST.

The Red and Gold Brigade have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs with a prospective victory in this match that will take them to 27 points in 22 games. They need that slight cushion of advantage as either NorthEast United FC (23) or Chennaiyin FC (24), or both of them, will drop points when they square off. 

The Carles Cuadrat-coached side has turned things around with consecutive victories in their last two matches. Contrastingly, things took a turn for the worse for Punjab FC, which has accumulated 21 points from as many games this season.

At one point, it had a definite chance of sealing a spot in the top six. However, dropping 11 points from a possible 15 in their previous five encounters derailed its charge for the playoffs.

When and Where will Punjab FC vs East Bengal ISL 10 match kick-off?

The Punjab FC vs East Bengal ISL 10 match will kick-off at 7:30 PM IST on Wednesday, April 9, behind closed doors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. 

Where to watch Punjab FC vs East Bengal in ISL 10 match?

The Punjab FC vs East Bengal ISL 10 match will be live telecast on the Sports18 SD and HD channel. It can also be live streamed on JioCinema.

Fans watching outside India, can live stream the match on the OneFootball app.