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NorthEast United FC lost to Punjab FC 0-1 in their game week 18 encounter in Guwahati today (7th March). It was both teams' 18th game of the season.
NorthEast United FC came into the game drawing their previous game 2-2 against Hyderabad FC. The Highlanders were placed eighth in the points table with 20 points from 17 games.
Punjab FC came into the game after losing their previous game against Mumbai City FC 2-3. The Shers were placed 11th in the points table with 17 points from as many games.
A win or draw would take the Highlanders to sixth in the points table. A win for Punjab FC would take them to eight in the points table. Both sides have a chance to make the playoffs, and a win was crucial for both sides to stay in the race for the sixth spot.
The match started with the visitors missing a great chance in the second minute as Luka Majcen missed a good chance from inside the box. The hosts had their first attempt in the fifth minute when Phalguni Singh's effort from outside the box whizzed past the right post.
The first shot on target of the game came to the Shers when Jordan Wilmar Gil's shot was saved easily by Gurmeet. While NorthEast United FC tried to hit shots from outside the box, their opponents tried to wiggle past the Highlanders' defense and create openings for their strikers.
Parthib Gogoi was the first player for the hosts to register a shot on target in the 25th minute. Nikhil Prabhu was the first player to be booked as he was shown the yellow for a bad foul in the 34th minute.
The scoreboard at halftime read 0-0. The teams went into the lemon break with the aim to get an early lead in the second half.
Wilmar Gil tried to open the scoring for Punjab FC early on in the second half but his shot was saved by Gurmeet. NorthEast United FC's Macarton Nickson was the first player for the hosts to register a shot in the second half but his attempt was wide of the target.
Punjab FC finally broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute as Wilmar Gil didn't fail to convert from the penalty spot. The Shers were awarded a penalty as Jordan's shot hit Tondonba in the arm inside the box in the 62nd minute.
The goal opened up the game a bit with the hosts rushing to score the equalizer. Nestor's attempt in the 65th minute missed the target by a narrow margin. 10 minutes later, Nestor saw his back header going straight into Ravi Kumar's hands.
Both sides tried to score in the remaining few minutes but failed to do so. The scoreboard at full-time read 0-1 in favor of the visitors.
NorthEast United FC suffered a huge setback regarding securing the playoff spot
The fight for the ISL sixth spot is wide open with six teams in the fight for the sixth spot. It is probably the first time in the league's history that six teams are battling for one playoff spot.
NorthEast United FC were one of the favourites to secure the playoff spot, but after playing a 2-2 draw in their previous game against Hyderabad FC and losing 0-1 to Punjab FC today at home their chances of making the top six have taken a hit. Teams like Jamshedpur FC, Bengaluru FC, and even Punjab FC will now look to go all out in their last few games and secure a victory in each game.
As things currently stand, Bengaluru FC have a slight advantage given they are a point ahead of the next three teams and three ahead of the next two.
Punjab FC kept their hopes of a top-six berth alive with a victory today
Punjab FC have kept their playoff qualification hopes alive by defeating NorthEast United FC today. With the win today, the Shers have the same number of points as NorthEast United FC and are above them in the league table based on a better head-to-head record.
With the victory today, Punjab FC have spiced up the top six race. The Shers have a lot of tough games coming up as they face FC Goa, Mohun Bagan Super Giants and Odisha FC in their upcoming three games before playing their final league game against fellow top-six contender side East Bengal.
