Punjab FC – 1 (Lalrinliana Hnamte 84’ OG) Chennaiyin FC – 0

New Delhi, Wednesday, May 6, 2026: Punjab FC secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Chennaiyin FC in their Indian Super League 2025-26 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

A late own goal by Chennaiyin FC midfielder Lalrinliana Hnamte in the 84th minute proved to be the sole difference in a tightly contested affair. The result rewards the hosts for their attacking persistence, while the Marina Machans were left frustrated after a solid defensive display was undone in the closing stages. Dani Ramirez was awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding all-round contributions.

With this crucial victory, Punjab FC moved into sixth place with 18 points from 10 matches, pushing Bengaluru FC down to seventh to keep themselves in the title race. Meanwhile, Chennaiyin FC remain rooted to the bottom of the table in 12th position with nine points from 11 matches.

A victory would have moved the Marina Machans into the safe zone, but they must now continue to fight a looming relegation battle alongside Mohammedan SC and Odisha FC.

The match began with intense aerial duels before Punjab FC asserted their early dominance, controlling possession and probing for openings. Punjab FC came extremely close to taking the lead in the 10th minute following beautiful interplay between Nsungusi Effiong and Dani Ramirez.

The ball found its way to Bede Osuji at point-blank range, but with the goalkeeper completely beaten, Pritam Kotal produced a heroic clearance off the goal line.The Shers continued to threaten as the half progressed, with Nsungusi Effiong testing goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz with another attempt on target in the 25th minute.

Chennaiyin FC struggled to find their attacking rhythm in the first half, frequently relying on tactical fouls to disrupt the hosts' momentum.

The physical nature of the contest culminated in a yellow card for Chennaiyin midfielder Farukh Choudhary just before the half-time whistle in the 44th minute.

The second half resumed with the visitors showing slightly more attacking intent as they looked to break the deadlock.

After a brief passage of 15-odd minutes where it was stop-start action, the match was stuck in first and second gear before the tempo finally shifted.

Daniel Chima Chukwu registered Chennaiyin FC's first shot on target in the 64th minute, but the Punjab FC defence held firm to maintain the clean sheet.

As the game entered its decisive final phase, both managers turned to their benches to inject fresh energy into the match.

Punjab FC continued their urgency through substitute Samir Zeljkovic and Effiong, however, they were unable to find that elusive goal initially.

Against the run of play, Chennaiyin FC created a couple of golden opportunities around the 80th minute to snatch the lead. Substitute Irfan Yadwad missed a header from a one-on-one position inside the box, and Chima Chukwu failed to convert from open play.

At the other end, Zeljkovic couldn’t find the top corner from a massive one-on-one opportunity in the 82nd minute, which resulted in a corner.

Punjab FC finally scored the decisive goal from that ensuing corner in the 84th minute. The corner delivery directly hit the back of Lalrinliana Hnamte, who was busy marking his man, and the ball inadvertently deflected into his own net to hand the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Chennaiyin FC immediately responded with a flurry of late substitutions, bringing on Ankit Mukherjee and S. Prakadeswaran in a desperate bid to salvage a point.

Following the goal, Punjab FC were happy to keep ball possession as the clock kept ticking down.

With six minutes of added time announced, Punjab FC managed the closing stages effectively, winding down the clock despite Khaiminthang Lhungdim receiving a late booking in the 89th minute.

The referee blew the final whistle, and the Shers walked away with three crucial points to keep themselves firmly in the title race.