AIFF Super Cup 2025-26: Punjab FC eliminates Bengaluru FC, Gokulam Kerala closes with victory

Last season it was Inter Kashi and this time it was Punjab FC. Penalties remained Bengaluru FC’s Achilles heel in the Super Cup as they lost 4-5 on penalties and were eliminated from 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 from Group C into the last four.

Punjab started as the better side in attack but poor finishing from new striker Nsungusi Effiong in his first start saw his side miss three clear chances to break the deadlock.

In the fourth minute, Effiong received a cross into the box and headed the ball over the net, while Dani Ramirez’s through ball fell for the Nigerian, who could not get to it in time as Gurpreet Singh Sandhu took control.

Bengaluru’s first reply came after half an hour when Braian Sanchez won the ball from Nikhil Prabhu and plundered it down the right flank.

His inbound ball took a bad deflection off Muhammed Uvais and almost ended up in the net before Muheet Shabir cleared the ball 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, who looked to force the initiative with a chance arriving just before the hour mark when Effiong got a header from Ramirez’s corner, but the ball went just wide.

Ten minutes later, Bengaluru had the same painful outcome: Ryan Williams’ through ball found Ashique Kuruniyan on the left, whose low cross was fired just wide of the target by Sunil Chhetri, who had earlier been dropped from the Indian squad.

Punjab coach Panagiotis Dilperis opted for zone marking for all but one player – Sanchez – and the strategy, with a heavy center block, made it a cagey affair. Williams, who scored twice in the previous match, was frozen on the right.

Bengaluru, who gave the Shers too much space in the final third, made up for it after the break, keeping the midfield duo of Ramirez and Samir Zeljkovic at bay.

With the score 0-0 at the end of regular time, Rahul Bheke almost headed the winner from a free kick in injury time. However, a decisive goal eluded the match, making it a penalty shootout, where Shabir saved Williams’ attempt before Vinit won the match for Punjab.

Dilperis’ side will face East Bengal in the semi-finals, while FC Goa will take on the top seed from Group D, which will be decided tomorrow.

Gokulam beat 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 hitting the post in the 10th minute and Lalngaihsaka’s lobbed cross ending on top of the net six minutes later.

But Gokulam grew into the match and broke the deadlock before the half-hour mark. Shighil’s shot from outside the penalty area was deflected off Yash Chickro and fell in front of the goal, where Torras put it into the net.

Shigil was also involved in the second goal as Akshunna Tyagi took his throw-in to the final third and crossed to Kynshi to send the ball home in the 56th minute.

Gokulam came close in the 81st minute when Gursmirat Singh’s header from an Alfred Moya corner was cleared off the line by Sporting captain Sajad Hussain Parray.

Fifteen minutes later, a tired Mohammed Sporting was punished on the counter. Moya carried the ball close to the opponent’s penalty area and then aimed a right-footed curler at the far post.

Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Subhajit Bhattacharjee could only parry the ball as Azorin tapped it in to score his first goal for the club.

Published on November 5, 2025