Punjab FC vs East Bengal Highlights, ISL 2023-24: PFC 4-1 EBFC at Full Time!

The referee blows the final whistle to put East Bengal out of their misery! It's Punjab FC 4-1 East Bengal following the humiliating defeat in New Delhi. The result also means Chennaiyin FC qualify for the play-offs!
90+1' Five minutes of additional time added before East Bengal officially exit the ISL 2023-24 season
PFC 4-1 EBFC
83' Harmanjot Khabra makes goalline clearance after Majcen makes an acrobatic effort to put the ball towards the goal following a collision with the East Bengal goalkeeper
PFC 4-1 EBFC

78' Substitutions by Punjab FC too. East Bengal are seeing the possession at the moment but space in the Punjab box is too tight
PFC 4-1 EBFC

Two substitutions by East Bengal! They have now used all their substitutions
PFC 4-1 EBFC
GOOOOALLL! Luka Majcen makes it 4-1 and it's a nightmare now for East Bengal! Madih Talal and Majcen play a couple of one-twos to get inside the box before the Punjab captain pulls the trigger for the goal
PFC 4-1 EBFC
69' East Bengal are trying to find their way back in the game again as they need three goals in the next 20 minutes but Punjab defense is not much offering gaps at the moment
PFC 3-1 EBFC
62' GOOOOALLL! Wilmar Jordan Gil makes it 3-1! Madih Talal provides the assist after catching East Bengal on the break again! The Frenchman missed a chance with a chip off target seconds ago but he came back this time to get the job done through his Colombian teammate. It's game over for East Bengal!
60' LAST-DITCHED TACKLE BY MAHESH TO TAKE THE BALL OUT FOR A CORNER! Madih Talal the problem again for East Bengal as he runs all alone to catch East Bengal on the break!
PFC 2-1 EBFC
58' Rakib runs for his life into the box to intercept Madih Talal, who threatening ran into the box all alone after catching East Bengal on the break. The Red and gold are risking to play with a high defensive line as they need two goals!
PFC 2-1 EBFC
57' Nothing comes off the corner but East Bengal continue to keep possession and look to create chances from open play. Punjab defense looks relax at the moment
PFC 2-1 EBFC
55' Yellow cacrd for Punjab FC player Nikhil Prabhu for a tackle from behind on Mahesh! East Bengal takes an indirect freekick from it but fails to make it count! They have a chance from corner now
PFC 2-1 EBFC
51' Aman CK puts a dangerous ball in the centre box following a darting run from the right flank but he fails to find any of his teammate to put that ball in while Punjab defense was all exposed
Victor soon sends a beautiful lobbed ball into the box for overlapping Nishu Kumar in front of the goal but the linesman flagged it offside! Replays show that Nishu wasn't offside
PFC 2-1 EBFC
49' Luka Majcen scores following a lobbed ball into the box but the referee raises the offside flag to the delight of East Bengal fans! Replays suggest that was a tight call by the linesman
48' Yellow card for Saul Crespo for a late tackle on Madih Talal. Punjab FC will take an indirect freekick as they have put multiple bodies inside the East Bengal box!
PFC 2-1 EBFC

47' East Bengal defense forced into blocking back-to-back shots by Ricky and Luka Majcen after getting caught on the break! That would have been game over for East Bengal if not for those desperate blocks!
Confirmation on the two changes at the break by East Bengal
46' The second half is underway!
PFC 2-1 EBFC
Two changes at the break by East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat as he sends in Shyamal Beshra and Aman CK. Confirmation on the two players going out to follow soon!
PFC 2-1 EBFC

A controversial moment in the match came right before Talal scored as Punjab FC goalkeeper Ravi Kumar pushed Hijazi Maher twice inside the box! The referee gave no foul but should have been a foul for making a contact and subsequently a penalty

A look at the Live ISL Points table. East Bengal are going out of playoff run if they don't score two goals in the second half and concede none!
East Bengal have been out of their comfort zone tonight as after playing the whole season where they let other teams keep the ball and hit them on the break, tonight they had to play with the ball in search of a win. That surely exposed them at the back as Madih Talal ran havoc with the space on the offer at the back!
The Frenchman is destroying East Bengal single-handedly with his trickery and pace on the left flank

Half Time statistics
The referee blows the half time whistle and comes as a respite for East Bengal as Madih Talal tore into East Bengal defense again from the left flank and squared the ball to Wilmar but EBFC defense somehow managed to not let the Colombian score. Could have been a foul for penalty too!
PFC 2-1 EBFC at HT
45+1' Two minutes off additional play added and Madih Talal almost doubled the lead as he shot wide from the edge of the box after dribbling into the attacking third!
PFC 2-1 EBFC
43' GOOOOALLL! Madih Talal puts Punjab back in the lead as East Bengal defense is caught napping! Poor goalkeeping by Kamaljit, who couldn't block a shot straight at him!
PFC 2-1 EBFC
41' Ravi Kumar pushes Hijazi Maher with his hands after collecting the ball while the East Bengal defender tried to block his path for a kick following a collection off corner! The referee sees nothing wrong in that and shows no card. Unbelievable, should have been a foul
40' Mahesh's dangerous shot blocked by Melroy Assisi following a brilliant through ball into the box by Victor Vazquez! Melroy makes a crucial interception out for a corner!
PFC 1-1 EBFC
38' East Bengal right-back Mohammad Rakip sees a yellow card for fouling Madih Talal during a Punjab counter-attack!
37' Mahesh has been playing on left midfield tonight to help out Crespo with the buildup while Victor is given a free role to create. The move has allowed East Bengal to see more ball possession but they are still lacking a defensive midfielder to block Punjab's counter-attack!
PFC 1-1 EBFC
34' Hijazi makes stunning clearance in front of the East Bengal after Madih Talal put a dangerous cross from the left for an unmarked Luka Majcen on the far post! The Jordanian defender shows once again why East Bengal fans are so fond of him!
PFC 1-1 EBFC
In a crucial encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, East Bengal FC and Punjab FC are facing off in their final league fixture of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season.
For the Red & Gold Brigade, a victory in this match could potentially secure their spot in the playoffs, as they currently stand with 24 points from 21 games.
With a chance to reach 27 points by the end of the season, East Bengal FC will look to capitalise on their recent momentum, having secured consecutive victories in their last two matches.
Meanwhile, Punjab FC finds themselves in a precarious position, with 21 points from 21 games. While they showed promise earlier in the season, dropping crucial points in their recent encounters has hindered their playoff aspirations. Nevertheless, Punjab FC will be determined to finish the season on a positive note and spoil East Bengal FC's playoff hopes.
In terms of gameplay, Punjab FC's attacking trio of Wilmar Jordan Gil, Luka Majcen, and Madih Talal will be crucial in their quest for goals. However, they will need to improve their dribble success rate, which currently stands as the lowest among all teams in the league. On the defensive end, Greek central defender Dimitrios Chatziisaias will play a key role in marshaling Punjab FC's backline.
On the other hand, East Bengal FC will rely on the frontline presence of Naorem Mahesh Singh, who has been instrumental with four goals and two assists in the current season. Additionally, they will need to address their disciplinary issues, having conceded the most fouls and received the most yellow cards in recent matches.
As the two teams gear up for their final showdown of the season, both coaches emphasized the importance of preparation and determination. With only one draw in their head-to-head encounters so far, both East Bengal FC and Punjab FC will be eager to claim victory and end their campaign on a positive note.