It was Inter Kashi last season, and this time, it was Punjab FC. Penalty shootout continued to be Bengaluru FC’s Achilles heel in the Super Cup yet again as it lost 4-5 on penalties to get knocked out of the AIFF Super Cup, at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Ryan Williams was the only penalty-taker for the Blues, who failed to convert, while Vinit Rai found the top-left corner for the Shers to take them into the final four from Group C.
Punjab began as the better side in attack, but its new forward Nsungusi Effiong’s poor finishing on his first start saw his side miss out on three clear chances to break the deadlock.
In the fourth minute, Effiong got a cross in the box and headed the ball over the net, while Dani Ramirez’s through ball fell in front of the Nigerian, who couldn’t reach it on time as Gurpreet Singh Sandhu took control.
Bengaluru’s first reply came after the half-hour mark when Braian Sanchez won the ball from Nikhil Prabhu and marauded along the right flank.
His whipped in ball took a wicked deflection off Muhammed Uvais and almost ended up in the net before Muheet Shabir palmed it out to safety.
Five minutes later, Chinglensana Singh headed Vinith Venkatesh’s corner over the net.
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After the restart, it was Punjab, which looked to force the initiative with a chance arriving close to the hour mark when Effiong got a head to Ramirez’s corner, but the ball went just wide.
Ten minutes later, Bengaluru had the same agonising outcome: Ryan Williams’s through ball found Ashique Kuruniyan on the left, whose low cross was struck just off-target by Sunil Chhetri, who was earlier dropped from the Indian squad.
Punjab’s coach, Panagiotis Dilmperis, chose zonal marking for all players but one – Sanchez – and the strategy, with a heavy mid-block, made it a cagey affair. Williams, who scored twice in the previous match, was frozen out on the right.
Bengaluru, which allowed the Shers too much space in the final third, made amends after the break, keeping the midfield duo of Ramirez and Samir Zeljkovic at bay.
With the score 0-0 at the end of regulation time, Rahul Bheke nearly headed a winner from a free-kick in stoppage time. However, a deciding strike eluded the contest, taking it to a penalty shootout, where Shabir saved Williams’ effort before Vinit won it for Punjab.
Dilmperis’s side will face East Bengal in the semifinal, while FC Goa will lock horns with the topper from Group D, which will be determined tomorrow.
Gokulam beats Mohammedan Sporting 3-0
In the earlier match, Gokulam Kerala ended its Super Cup campaign on a high with a 3-0 win over Mohammedan Sporting at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim.
Albert Torras opened the scoring for the Malabarians before Samuel Kynshi and Juan Carlos Rico Azorín put the competition to bed in the second half.
Mohammedan Sporting started the match aggressively, with Ashley Alban Koli’s free-kick slamming the upright in the 10th minute and Lalngaihsaka’s lobbed cross ending on top of the net six minutes later.
But Gokulam grew into the game, breaking the deadlock before the half-hour mark. Shighil’s shot from outside the box was deflected off Yash Chickro and fell in front of the goal where Torras poked it into the net.
Shigil was involved in the second goal too when Akshunna Tyagi carried his throw-in into the final third and crossed to Kynshi to steer it home in the 56th minute.
Gokulam came close in the 81st minute when Gursmirat Singh’s header from a Alfred Moya corner was cleared off the line by Sporting’s captain Sajad Hussain Parray.
Minutes later, a tired Mohammed Sporting was punished on the counter. Moya carried the ball close to the opposition box and then aimed for the far post with a right-footed curler.
Mohammedan Sporting’s goalkeeper, Subhajit Bhattacharjee, could only parry the ball out which Azorin tapped it in, scoring his first goal for the club.
The scores:
Gokulam Kerala 3 (Torras 28’, Kynshi 56’, Azorin 86’) bt Mohammedan Sporting 0
Bengaluru FC 0 (4) lost to Punjab FC 0 (5) on penalties
Published on Nov 05, 2025