Ludhiana: Late strikes from Dipanda Dicka, Thoiba Singh and Sergio Barboza helped hosts Punjab FC beat defending champions Chennai City FC 3-1 in a thrilling I-League encounter here on Tuesday.
The hosts took the lead through substitute Dipanda Dicka in the 78th minute before Pedro Manzi equalised for the visitors in the 85th minute. However, Punjab (formerly known as Minerva FC) were rewarded for their sheer persistence, through late goals from Thoiba and Barboza to register their first win of the season. Punjab head coach Yan Law made a host of changes from his side that drew 1-1 at home with East Bengal.
Dicka started on the bench while Jason Hart returned to the eleven. Akbar Nawas, on the other hand, fielded a conventional 4-3-3, looking to cause trouble to the Punjab full-backs. The win takes Punjab FC to the fifth place in the Hero I-League table with four points, while Chennai City slipped to sixth spot. (PTI)
