Pune: FC Pune City defeated Jamshedpur FC 2-1 in a hard-fought match to register their first win of the ongoing Indian Super League football tournament here on Wednesday.
Diego Carlos scored as early as the fifth minute for Pune but the lead was cancelled out by Sumeet Passi in the 10th minute.
An end-to-end contest produced a match-winner in the 86th minute when Matt Mills gave Pune the much-needed three points.
The win lifted Pune from the foot of the table into eighth position with five points from eight matches.
Jamshedpur, on the other hand, tasted defeat for the first time and are fourth with 11 points from eight matches.
Pune struck the first blow five minutes into the match when Carlos was allowed to run at the Jamshedpur defence from the halfway line.
In the tenth minute, Sumeet Passi got a chance to score when Carlos Calvo found him unmarked in the centre of the box. The Indian striker found the net with a crisp header to pull the visitors level.
Jamshedpur kept pressing and got another chance when Jerry was allowed space to dribble to the byline. But Kamaljit parried away the winger’s dangerous cross before the forwards could pounce.
At the other end, Robin spurned a glorious chance after the hour mark when Ashique made a rampaging run down the right and picked him out with a cross.
The striker, however, headed over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Ashutosh Mehta, on an overlapping run from the right flank, failed to control Marko Stankovic’s delightful lob into the box while the impressive Carlos Calvo saw an effort fizz over the bar at the other end as both sides searched for a winner.
Pune’s efforts bore fruit in the 86th minute when Matt Mills headed the ball from a corner-kick into the net to hand Jamshedpur FC their first defeat and secure Pune’s first victory. (PTI)
