Diego Raposo’s first-half strike seals Punjab FC’s 1-0 win over East Bengal as both teams advance to the IFA Shield semi-finals.
Kolkata , September 30: A first-half strike from Diego Raposo was enough for Punjab FC to beat East Bengal 1–0 at the East Bengal Ground on Wednesday and finish top of Group B in the 126th edition of the IFA Shield.
East Bengal FC had the possession, spent long spells pushing Punjab FC back and kept looking for a way through. Punjab FC, however, had the one moment that mattered.
However for East Bengal, the defeat did not stop their progress into the semi-finals. As both teams had already put themselves in a strong position after winning their opening group matches against Calcutta Customs, making Wednesday’s meeting more about finishing first than simply staying alive in the competition.
Antonio Lopez Habas returned to the Red & Gold touchline and named a strong first-team starting XI, with Diego Zivulic and Chris Ikonomidis among the players starting the game. East Bengal were the side trying to take control from the beginning, and the stats reflected that.
Punjab were more comfortable without the ball as the game went on, waiting for their opportunities and trying to make East Bengal pay whenever space opened up.
That opening came in the 41st minute.
Raphael Messi Bouli created the chance with a precise delivery into the box after Red & Gold failed to deal with the situation. Raposo made no mistake, controlling the ball before finishing with his right foot to give Punjab the lead.
It was the kind of moment East Bengal had to avoid, especially in a game where they had otherwise spent plenty of time with the ball.
The second half was largely about Red & Gold trying to find a way back. Vishnu PV, Jeakson Singh, Bipin Singh and Mohamed Bilal were brought into the game as Habas looked for more attacking momentum.
There were openings. East Bengal came close through their pressure late in the game, while Bipin Singh’s curling free-kick forced Arshdeep Singh into an important save. In the final moments, Bilal also saw his header denied by the Punjab goalkeeper.
Punjab, meanwhile, had their own chances to finish the game earlier. A strike hit the woodwork and Alfred Planas Moya missed a good opportunity in the second half, meaning the game remained within reach for East Bengal until the final whistle.
Punjab were reduced to ten men in stoppage time when captain Nikhil Prabhu received his second yellow card. But even that did not change the outcome. Arshdeep produced another important save in the 94th minute to deny Bilal and preserve the clean sheet.
So, Punjab leave the East Bengal Ground with the win and top spot in the group, while East Bengal move into the semi-finals despite the narrow defeat.
The Red & Golds will now face NorthEast United FC in the second semi-final on October 5 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, with kick-off scheduled for 5 PM. Punjab FC, meanwhile, will meet NorthEast United FC in the other semi-final on October 2.
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