U19 I-League: Ten-man Pune FC held to a 4-4 draw by Kenkre FC in a thriller

Pune FC medio R. Manimaran (Red - #6) in action

Ten-man Pune FC were held to a high scoring 4-4 draw by Kenkre FC in an U19 I-League Round-6 encounter at the Pune FC Training Pitches in Mamurdi on Friday.

Rohan Dalvi (1st minute) put Kenkre in the front in the opening minute before strikes from Altamash Sayed (23rd) and Yumnam Arnold Singh put Pune FC 2-1 up. However, Arish Sutaria (39^th) scored six minutes later to level scores going into the break.

In the second half, Kiran Choukashi (51^st) put Pune FC ahead for the second time before strikes from Arish (53^rd) and Rohan (79^th), who completed their braces, put Kenkre ahead. However, Subhasish Bose (81^st) scored at the other end to make it 4-4.

The hosts went down to ten men after goalkeeper Avilash Paul was sent off in the 67th minute.

The draw also meant Pune FC stayed second in the table with eight points from five games.

Pune FC striker Yumnam Arnold Singh (Red – #18) scores the team’s second goal

Pune FC got off to a worst possible start conceding in the opening minute. Striker Rohan capitalised on defender Rohit Kalsotra’s poor back pass before scoring past an helpless goalkeeper to give Kenkre the lead.

A goal down, Pune FC kept on pushing ahead and scored two back-to-back goals in a space of ten minutes.

In the 23^rd minute, defender Henry Monsang sent Manimaran clear on the left.  The winger kept the ball in and laid off for Altamash, who finished at the second post on the run to equalise for the hosts.

Ten minutes later, Altamash chested down winger Rushabh Dhere’s cross in from the left for Arnold on the edge of the box. The striker controlled and finished at the first post to give Pune FC the lead.

The visitors however pulled back level six minutes later; once again poor defending by the hosts leading to a goal. The backline’s failure to clear a long ball saw Pune FC ‘keeper Avilash come way out to clear only to miss it on the slide. Arish controlled the stray ball and tapped into an empty net to level scores going into the breather.

The second half was a similar story as both sides played an open game

Six minutes in, Manimaran capitalised on an opponent’s slip and set up Kiran on the edge of the box with a backheel that opened up space. The midfielder, kept his cool, and scored past the goalkeeper with a powerful strike to give Pune FC the lead.

Pune FC goalscorer Altamash Sayed (Red - #17) in action

At the other end, the visitors pulled level almost instantly with Arish scoring from close – once again the defense letting Pune FC down.

Midway through the half, the hosts were down to ten men after keeper Avilash was sent off for a one-on-one tackle on Arish. The decision however, was controversial as the Kenkre striker was already yards offside when the ball was played, leaving Avilash no option but to come out and block.

Kenkre made their one-man advantage count and took the lead in the 79^th minute, once again in a move that looked suspiciously offside.

Substitute keeper Tanmay Bhattacharjee did well to punch out Viraj Kambli’s cross in from the right. The rebound however fell for Rohan who made no mistake to tap the ball home from six-yards out.

At the other end, Pune FC pulled level almost instantly as left-back Subhashish headed home Altamash’s freekick in from the right at the far post to set up a grand stand finish.

Despite being a man-down, Pune FC tried their level best to score once again but the visitors defended deep to hold on.

Pune FC Press Release