Kolkata, March 9 (IANS) Punjab FC will hope to secure back-to-back victories and end their season on a high when they face Mohammedan SC in their last match of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season on Monday, here at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan.
With a win, Punjab, currently with 27 points can climb up to eighth place and be assured of finishing not below ninth place in the table while ISL newcomers Mohammedan SC who are ensured of a last-place finish will also look to sign off the season with a good performance.
Speaking ahead of the match, Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis said, “It has been a wonderful first season for me personally as a coach. I am proud that I could coach such a young team who have performed well throughout the season. Being young players, it is true that maybe because of their lack of experience we could not get some results which should have gone our way.”
Punjab FC secured a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Hyderabad FC in their penultimate match of the season at Hyderabad with Luka Majcen and Singamayum Shami, the youngest scorer in the league history scoring the goals while Mohammedan SC suffered a 0-2 loss to FC Goa in their last fixture at Goa. In the reverse fixture played at New Delhi Punjab FC secured a comfortable 2-0 victory with the help of goals from Luka Majcen and Filip Mrzljak. The Shers have a superior record over
Mohammedan, won four out of the seven games including I-League encounters while the other three matches ended in a draw.
“We will play the last match according to our plans and secure all three points and end the season on a positive note. Mohammedan is a tough team to break down at home, even though they haven’t been able to get the desired results,” he added.
Luka Majcen who has scored nine goals and provided three assists will look to finish the season in double digits of goals while Ezequeil Vidal, Asmir Suljic and the other attackers will also look to add to their tally. The 18-year-old Muhammad Suhail F. who has had a breakthrough season this year with his impressive performances will also look to continue his form and end the season on a high.
Punjab have put up some impressive defensive numbers this season with Nikhil Prabhu and Tekcham Abhishek Singh racking up 56 and 46 interceptions respectively. The Shers also have faced the least number of shots and are second in allowing opposition touches inside their box.
Speaking ahead of the match, Punjab FC goalkeeper Muheet Shabir said, “It has been a learning experience for me in my debut season in the ISL. I have learned a lot from the coaching staff and hope that I have improved. We are confident about tomorrow’s match and hope to play our best football and secure all three points.”
In a season which could have gone better if not for some unfortunate results and injuries, Punjab FC will look to end their season with a complete performance and secure all three points.
–IANS
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