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Punjab edged past Maharashtra 4-3 in the second round of a Group B fixture at the OFA 7th Battalion in Bhubaneswar, Odisha earlier today.
It was Punjab who opened the score, in the 20th minute. Mohammed Rasheed brilliantly placed the ball from a corner which gave Punjab the lead.
But, Maharashtra equalized 5 minutes before the half-time whistle. Johnson’s cut-back after a brilliant run was slotted in by Armash Ansari.
Punjab restored their lead in the 52nd minute. Jaginder Singh tapped in the ball from close range following an error from the Maharashtra defense.
Himanshu Patil got Maharashtra back in the game, in the 64th minute. He tapped the ball into the open net after Johnson’s header hit the woodwork, which made the game all square, again.
4 minutes later, Maharashtra scored again and got the lead for the first time in the game. Pavan Vijay Mali brilliantly nodded home the ball from a corner, which struck the left top corner of the post.
Punjab showed no signs of giving up. They equalized the game again in the 70th minute when Rohit Sheikh headed in an excellent cross from Mohammed.
Further on, Punjab were awarded a penalty in the 91st minute for a foul. Parmjit Singh made no mistake from the spot, which won all three points for his team.
Squad
Punjab – Harpreet, Mohammed, Gurtej, Rajat, Chetan, Bhupinder, Sandeep, Parmjit, Jaginder, Kamaldeep, Bipul.
Head Coach – Hardeep Singh
Maharashtra – Shivam, Vishnu, Tejas, Pavan, Shravan, Omkar, Kausthub, Johnson, Armash, Ashley, Himanshu.
Head Coach – Steven Dias
