East Bengal FC staged an outstanding comeback victory against Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season, scoring four goals in 22 minutes in the second half to overcome a two-goal deficit and win 4-2 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan stadium. Punjab had a comfortable lead at the end of the first half with two goals from Asmir Suljic and Pulga Vidal.
But Hijazi Maher, P.V. Vishnu, David Hmar, and an own goal by Suresh Meitei completed the comeback for the home team. Punjab is fifth in the table with 18 points from 11 matches, while East Bengal is 11th with 10 points from the same number of matches. Both teams took their time getting into the game, and once it began, Punjab trapped East Bengal by dominating the middle of the pitch.
Punjab made superb use of the long passes, with Luka Majcen and Asmir Suljic always willing to dash behind the high line of the Red and Gold Brigade defenders. On the opposite end, David Hmar scored with a nice finish from a free kick but was called offside. The Shers took the lead in the 21st minute with a well-worked goal. Pulga Vidal responded to Asmir’s surge into the box by deftly finding the Hungarian.
Oscar Bruzon’s Tactical Brilliance Demolished Punjab
The latter took the ball on the volley and finished past Prabhsukhan Gill for his third goal of the season. Punjab gained confidence as the game progressed, opening up the East Bengal defense with ease. East Bengal staged a spectacular comeback, scoring three goals in 22 minutes at the start of the second half. Oscar Bruzon has become the coach with the most points after 7 games with the side.
Bruzon since taking on the side, in 10 games has 5 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses with the Red and Gold Brigade. The side lacked mentality, courage, and self-belief in the first half. The second-half turnaround was just as East Bengal plays whenever they are behind in the game. Oscar is also optimistic about Diamantakos returning in the next game, though the return of Crespo remains uncertain.
