Bawirousang Hrangmingtam and Laldawlkima Lalngaihawma grabbed a brace each as Pune City unleashed a goal blitz and played Payyade out of the park. Such was their dominance that Payyade was lucky only to lose 6-1!

It all began when Hrangmintham headed home from a free kick in the 13th minute to open the floodgates. Tihe rest of the game was all Pune City as they controlled possession and didn’t allow Payyade to settle into the game. Pune City bagged three more goals as Lalngaihawma scored in the 32nd and 41st minutes respectively with Akhil Rawat’s 36th minute goal sandwiched in between.

Lalngaihawma was in sublime form as he breached Payyade’s defence on a regular basis. The 4-0 scoreline at the end of the first half reflected Pune City’s dominance as they virtually ran riot! Asadul Khan — one half of Payyade’s fab four — did reduce the deficit in the 51st minute but by then it was too little too late.

Hrangmingtam and C. Johnson Singh hit home in the 74th and 80th minutes respectively to round off what was an impressive win for Pune City. The fact that it came against a team which looked unstoppable in the earlier league phase make it even more impressive!

It was simply a super six performance by Pune City’s youngsters as they played a team renowned for their technical prowess and attacking ability out of the park. A quick glimpse at Payyade’s form book in the league phase and you’d know as to how important this win is for Pune City. Apart from Khan’s goal they virtually had nothing to take in terms of positives.

Pune City has fired a warning shot to their future opponents with this demolition act and it would be interesting to see as to whether they can keep up the winning momentum for the remaining games of the playoffs.

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They worked the ball around and displayed superb coordination and team chemistry in the emphatic win. Barring a few chances ESIC struggled to break past Pune City’s stubborn defending.

ESIC custodian Darshan Das kept the scoreline at 4-1 thanks to a string of fine saves.

Pune City scored in the 10th minute after Nikhil Prabhu controlled a long ball and hit home from the left. The floodgates had opened!

It was two-nil as Laldawnkima Lalngaihawma tapped home from the simplest of finishes in the 20th minute. At that point, Pune City was winning on a canter! The long balls and passes were a delight for purists!

Lalngaihawma tormented ESIC in the center of attack and created umpteen chances throughout the game. Mark Zothanpuia scored an easy goal and made it 3-0 in the 34th minute. Pune City was on a roll at that point!

N. Leisemba Meetel was a terror on the left flank as he harried ESIC with his speed. The first half finished 3-0 to Pune City with ESIC seemingly out of ideas.

They got a goal back through Sachin More in the 59th minute to raise hopes of a comeback.

Malcom Blakely was denied by a brilliant save by the Pune City custodian in the 73rd minute. Some goal it would have been!

Pune City put the game to bed in the dying minutes as C. Johnson Singh slammed in from long range.

A wholly deserved win!

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Lalngaihawama scored in the 36th minute and ensured that Pune City made their dominance in possession count.

Agnel struggled to create inroads in the Pune City defence. Asif Khan was a sole positive for Agnel as he created a couple of good chances in the first half. Pune City’s team effort ensured that they were leading 1-0 at half time.

Akhil Rawat made it 2-0 in the 75th minute and ensured Pune City had one foot on the victory door. Pune City attacked relentlessly and kept up the pressure as they made numerous forays into the Agnel box.

It paid off as Lalngaihawama got his second in the 88th minute and made it 3-0. It was game over for Agnel who simply couldn’t recover post that goal.

Lalngaihawama could have made it 4-0 in the 83rd minute only see his header go over the bar!

Agnel goalkeeper Prakhar Sharma pulled off a superb save in the 88th minute as he parried away Zamlunmang Khupsianlal’s shot.

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FC Goa players celebrates a goal during match 82 of the Hero Indian Super League between FC Pune City and FC Goa held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Pune, India on the 25th Feb 2018
Photo by: Vipin Pawar / ISL / SPORTZPICS

Manuel Lanzarote opened the scoring in the 28^th minute from the penalty spot, sending Vishal Kaith the wrong way. The Gaurs did well to keep the home side out in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead into the break. The men in white came out all guns blazing in the second period and doubled their lead through Hugo Boumous in the 47^th minute. Two became three in the 58^th minute when Ferran Corominas ran through on goal and netted a superb goal at the far post. He then stepped up to take the Gaurs’ second penalty, slotting it past Kaith once more after Sarthak Golui handled Mandar Rao Dessai’s 65^th minute cross. Pune skipper Marcelinho was sent off for his second yellow after a poor foul on Pronay in the 80^th minute.

It was a good start for the Gaurs who pressed from the start in a must win game. Lanzarote had the first chance in the match when he cut back from the right flank on to his left foot and curled an effort at Vishal Kaith’s goal. However, the shot lacked any power and Kaith collected easily. Pune had a chance in the 11^th minute when Lanzarote fouled Marcelinho near the byline on the left side. The Brazilian stepped up and curled an indirect free kick towards the far post where Sahil Panwar rose highest to head goal wards. However, the ball ricocheted off the upright and deflected out of play.

Lanzarote had another opportunity to give his side the lead in the 19^th minute after the Gaurs were awarded a free kick in a promising position. The Spaniard’s curled effort flew inches wide of the near post. In the 28^th minute, the Gaurs went ahead. Coro was played in down the right as the Spaniard put in another low ball towards the young Moroccan midfielder who was taken out by Adil Khan in his attempt to hit the ball. The referee pointed to the spot immediately. Lanzarote stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give the men in white an important lead.

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Ferran Corominas Telechea of FC Goa on the attack during match 82 of the Hero Indian Super League between FC Pune City and FC Goa held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Pune, India on the 25th Feb 2018
Photo by: Vipin Pawar / ISL / SPORTZPICS

The home side began to put pressure on the Goans after going a goal down. Goa were struggling to keep the Stallions in check as Marcelinho troubled the defence on a number of occasions. The Brazilian could have restored parity to proceedings in the 41^st minute after Diego Carlos passed the ball to him inside the box. He let the ball come to his preferred left foot and released a superb low shot aimed at the far post. However, Naveen Kumar got down quickly making the stop. As the half petered to a close, the Gaurs should have had another goal. With Pune bombing forward, they were prone to the counter-attack and Coro almost hurt them with the clock running down quickly. Coro received the ball in midfield and charged forward. Boumous made a run along the left flank, received a pass from the Spaniard and then put in a superb low ball. Coro got to the ball and hit a shot goalwards but the shot was blocked by Kaith to keep the deficit down to only one.

Sergio’s men came out firing on all cylinders in the second period and should have doubled their lead within a minute of the restart. The Gaurs charged down the middle, Boumous made a superb run through the lines, took the ball, ran to the byline and then cut back on to his stronger right foot. He then dinked a superb ball towards Lanzarote who was three yards from goal. The Spaniard however, hit his shot straight at Kaith as the chance went begging. A few seconds later, Boumous struck the post with a thunderous shot from just outside the box. The early pressure finally paid off for the Gaurs. Coro received the ball in the box and kept his calm to square the ball for Boumous who ran into the box. The Moroccan dodged the challenge of a defender and calmly slotted the ball into the net with his left foot from a few yards out.

The Gaurs continued to pile on the pressure and were rewarded once more. A superb flowing move saw Boumous flick on a scintillating ball into space for Coro to run on to. The Spaniard showed superb pace to get to the ball, charge into the box and then shoot the ball into the net at the far post. Pune were struggling to keep pace with the Goans and the defence was constantly under pressure. Mandar Rao Dessai should have made it 4-0 in the 61^st minute after Coro threaded a stunning through ball for the Goan winger. Vishal Kaith however, came running off his line and the Goan tried to chip him but couldn’t get enough elevation to beat the keeper.

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FC Goa players celebrates a goal during match 82 of the Hero Indian Super League between FC Pune City and FC Goa held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Pune, India on the 25th Feb 2018
Photo by: Vipin Pawar / ISL / SPORTZPICS

The Gaurs did however, make it 4 not long after when Mandar was played through on the left once again. His attempted cross came off the hand of Sarthak Golui and the referee pointed to the spot once again. This time Coro stepped up and smashed his penalty past Kaith who dived the right way but couldn’t get a hand on the ball. Things went from bad to worse for the Maharashtrian side after Marcelinho’s poor foul on Pronay in the 80^th minute. The referee pulled out a second yellow and sent the Brazilian off without hesitation. The Gaurs exercised caution in a bid to keep their first clean sheet of the tournament and kept possession, moving the ball around well.

With a man down, the Stallions weren’t able to get the ball off the Goans and chances were far and few as FC Goa protected their lead vigorously and ended the game with their first clean sheet.

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The Gaurs go into their third home game of the season perched on top of the Hero Indian Super League table. With games in hand over their nearest rivals, the club can take a healthy lead in the standings with victory over the Stallions who have had mixed results so far in the league, winning three and losing the same number of matches so far.

Skipper Laxmikant Kattimani put in a much improved performance in the Gaurs’ previous encounter in Delhi and made a number of saves to keep his side in the game. He will continue in goal against Pune City FC. Consistency in team selection has been the key for Sergio Lobera so far and he will be looking to field a similar team that took the field in Delhi. The central defensive partnership of Bruno Pinheiro and Ali Mohamed will most likely be given the nod ahead of Chinglensana Singh and Sergio Juste. Seriton Fernandes has been a bright spark for the Goan side and he will start the game on the right side of the defence along with Narayan Das on the left.

FC Goa have won a number of battles in midfield and that is mainly down to the duo of Edu Bedia and Ahmed Jahouh who have dominated games for the Gaurs. Jahouh has completed the most number of passes in the entire league and Edu’s forward bursts have provided the team with impetus. Manuel Lanzarote is the creator in chief for Sergio Lobera and that is evident from his contribution to the side. He has scored five goals and provided three assists in five games, taking him to third on the Golden Boot standings.

He will start in the attacking midfield position and will be flanked by the Goan duo of Mandar Rao Dessai and Brandon Fernandes who have also been instrumental in helping the team to the top of the standings. Top scorer Ferran ‘Coro’ Corominas picked up a knock in Delhi and it will be interesting to see whether he will get the nod up front ahead of Adrian Colunga who came on for the former Espanyol man and got on the scoresheet as well.

The Stallions will bring with them a well-balanced squad, full of attacking threat. Marcelinho topped the scoring charts in the last season with Delhi Dynamos FC but is yet to hit the ground running in this season, having scored just twice and providing three assists. Uruguayan striker Emiliano Alfaro is a dangerous customer in front of goal and will be looking to get back to scoring goals after failing to hit the back of the net in his last three games. It promises to be an exciting encounter as both teams will receive a massive boost with victory.

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during match 23 of the Hero Indian Super League between FC Pune City and Bengaluru FC held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Pune, India on the 14th December 2017
Photo by: Faheem Hussain / ISL / SPORTZPICS

Adil Khan put FC Pune City in the lead in the 35th minute, and the home team looked to be the better side in the first 45 minutes. The match, however, turned on its head in the second session after Pune defender Baljit Singh was sent off for a second yellow card in the 56th minute.

The hero, once again, for Bengaluru FC was Venezuelan forward Miku who scored two goals, in the 64th and 78th minutes of the game, while Sunil Chhetri hammered the final nail in the last minute of play. Bengaluru FC have now opened up a three-point lead at the top of the table. They have 12 points from five matches.

The ISL debutants didn’t look entirely convincing in the first session as they gave away the ball cheaply and looked fragile at the back. The defensive line was making uncharacteristic mistakes, giving Pune a clear look at the goal. Bengaluru had just one shot on goal in the first session, although Sunil Chhetri had the ball in the back of the net, his attempt was ruled out for handball.

Pune, who had top scorer Marcelinho on the bench, surged ahead in the 35th minute, when Adil Khan headed in the opening goal after some brilliant work from Isaac Vanmalsawma. Midfielder Marcos Tebar kick-started the attack and found Isaac on the left. Isaac crossed the ball into the heart of the Bengaluru defence where nobody saw Adil burst from nowhere and finish with a super diving effort.

Bengaluru FC have scored seven of their 10 goals in the second session. Understandably they attacked with vigour in the second half and were helped by the sending off of Baljit, the second time in as many matches that Pune had a player red-carded. This time the red card came too early and Pune found it tough to defend thereafter.

Bengaluru’s equaliser came in the 64th minute through Miku, their highest goal scorer. Chhetri moved in from the left and saw Edu Garcia overlapping. He rolled the ball swiftly and the Spaniard simply pulled it back for Miku to finish from close range.

Miku scored his, and the team’s, second goal in the 78th minute with another exquisite finish after Garcia’s attempt was blocked by a rival defender. Chhetri then made the best use of Pune’s tired legs as he ran to meet a through-ball from Toni Dovale and calmly lifted it over the on-rushing goalkeeper, deep into added time to finish off the game 3-1.

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Sunil Chhetri of Bengaluru FC during practice session before match 19 of the Hero Indian Super League between NorthEast United FC and Bengaluru FC held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati India on the 8th December 2017
Photo by: Deepak Malik / ISL / SPORTZPICS

Ranko Popovic has installed his team, FC Pune City, as one of the favorites of these Hero Indian Super League (ISL) season with their attacking set of players, this despite the team losing two of its three home games this season.

Both teams, ranked in the top half for now, have nine points each and will look to solidify their position at the top when they meet on Thursday.

“Bengaluru FC is a wonderful team. They are very strong with good individual players. They have an advantage too since they started a little bit early and had more (competitive) matches. But when we are playing at home, we should be the favourites. We have a job to do,” Popovic said during the pre-match media interaction on Wednesday.

Pune City are in a buoyant mood after putting it across Jamshedpur FC in the previous game. The coach was pleased that they not just breached the Jamshedpur defence for the first time in five matches, but they also managed to keep a clean sheet for the first time.

“I think the last match we lost at home (against Chennaiyin FC) was more accidental. We played well. I try to be realistic always. What is good is that we are looking better and better. We play a strong team. It’s one big test for us. We are more comfortable, more organised. Our problem is that we always have some last-minute problems with injuries and illnesses. We cannot field the same XI,” said Popovic, who will be forced to change his winning combination after defender Lalchhuanmawia Fanai picked up a red card in the previous game.

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The coach, however, will be able to select from Gani Ahmed Nigam and Sahil Panwar, the two players who have been promoted from the reserves. His counterpart, Alberto Roca, said he does not pay too much attention to talks that his team are the favourites in the Hero ISL. Instead, he pointed to their strong opponents, particularly their strike pair of Marcelinho and Emiliano Alfaro.

“We have studied Alfaro and Marcelinho a lot. We have seen a lot of videos on how to stop them. They are good players. We are ready for that. But we have had a short time to prepare for this game. At the end, an error can cost a lot. We are aware how difficult it is to stop these kind of players,” said the Bengaluru FC coach.

“We expect a tough game. They are at the same level. It’s going to be difficult. Pune has enough experience in their players, also coach, to put us in trouble. That’s what we expect,” he said.

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Sahil Panwar has played in age group teams of FC Pune City and also captained the Indian National U18 team in SAFF Cup this year. Forward Gani Ahmed Nigam has also been a part of successful Pune U19 team that won the 121^st IFA Shield this year, where he scored twice against Mohan Bagan in the final to help his team lift the trophy.

Gani and Sahil will replace the defenders Wayne Vaz (Jersey No. 14) and Pawan Kumar (Jersey No. 18). ISL Player guidelines allow a club to replace domestic players in main squad with players from its reserve squad after the club’s 5^th and 10^thand 15^th game.

Both Gani and Sahil will be available for selection to the head coach Ranko Popovic for the forthcoming home match against Bengaluru FC on14th December 2017.

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Emiliano Alfaro of FC Pune City tries to get past the defence of Delhi Dynamos FC during match 5 of the Hero Indian Super League between FC Pune City and Delhi Dynamos FC
Photo by: Vipin Pawar / ISL / SPORTZPICS

Jamshedpur FC are on a high after having secured their first victory in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) a few days ago. Still undefeated this season so far, they will face a different challenge when they come up against a free-scoring FC Pune City.

The Englishman is aware of the attacking threat that his opponents possess. “Pune are a top side. It is fair to say that. They arguably have the two best strikers in the league. Both Marcelinho and Emiliano Alfaro were great last year. They make a lethal combination. It will be a tough game but I think it enjoyable for everyone to watch,” Coppell said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

Coppell also confirmed that defender Anas Edathodika will be out of action for some time. His injury, which he sustained during Jamshedpur FC’s game against Kerala Blasters. “Anas is injured. He is not with us. He is undergoing specialist physiotherapy. As I said, he didn’t travel with the team last time because we don’t want him to travel and aggravate his injury,” he said.

Missing one of their best defenders, Coppell’s side will have their work cut out if they want to keep yet another clean sheet. FC Pune City have netted nine goals in their last four ISL encounters.

However, FC Pune City Coach Ranko Popovic believes it won’t be easy for his side to score against Jamshedpur FC. The Serbian spoke highly of Jamshedpur’s defensive organisation. “In my opinion, they are the best organised team in terms of defense. They haven’t conceded yet. It won’t be easy for us either but we’ll try to score and that is the challenge. I’m really excited about the game tomorrow,” he said.

Commenting on the pitch at Jamshedpur which was a cause of concern last time, Popovic stated, that can’t be an excuse. “We have to get on with the game. I hope its better.”  When asked if playing away from home tomorrow will be a disadvantage for his team, he replied, “Jamshedpur FC will go to play their away games and will have to face the same. We can’t use that an as excuse. Jamshedpur has the best footballing academy in the India. People love football here,” he added.

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Henrique Sereno of Chennaiyin FC takes a shot to score a goal during match 15 of the Hero Indian Super League between FC Pune City and Chennaiyin FC held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Pune, India on the 3rd December 2017
Photo by: Faheem Hussain / ISL / SPORTZPICS

A 82nd minute goal from captain Henrique Sereno was enough for the former ISL champions to win their second match on the trot after the disastrous opening day loss against FC Goa.

After a cagey opening 15 minutes, Pune took control but couldn’t create any clear-cut goal scoring chances. Some of their best chances of the half came from set plays. Marcos Tebar’s free-kick in the 19th minute was headed down by a Pune player to Alfaro, who in turn passed in on to Rafael Lopez. But the Spanish defender’s side-footed shot went inches wide of the Chennaiyin goal.

Chennaiyin FC’s best chance of the first half fell to Gregory Nelson in the 40th minute. After stringing together a few passes in midfield, Inigo Calderon sent in a delightful cross into the box for Nelson to meet. The Dutchman’s diving header, however, was cleared well off the line by Rafael.

Both sides started the second half much like the first — unable to create chances going forward. In the 60th minute, Pune goalkeeper Vishal Kaith almost gifted a goal to John Gregory’s side. The goalkeeper came out of his box to collect a harmless-looking cross from Jerry Lalrinzuala but could only palm it in the path of midfielder Francisco Fernandes. Rafael, however, was again in the right place at the right time to make another goal-line clearance.

At the other end, Alfaro should have given Pune the lead in the 77th minute. After finding himself clear on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, the Uruguayan slashed the ball over the crossbar.

It looked like both sides would settle for a point each but there was a twist in the tale. With just eight minutes left for the final whistle, Sereno gave Chennaiyin FC the lead. The defender rose above everyone to thump Gavilan Martinez’s corner past the FC Pune City goalkeeper.

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