Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis praised captain Luka Majcen for his pivotal role in their thrilling 2-1 win over Kerala Blasters FC in their opening Indian Super League (ISL) match on Sunday.

Majcen, who came on as a substitute in the second half, made a significant impact by scoring from the penalty spot and then assisting Filip Mrzljak’s dramatic 95th-minute goal. This came shortly after Jesus Jimenez had equalised for the Blasters in injury time.

With this victory, Punjab FC started their campaign with three points and secured back-to-back wins against Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi. Dilmperis commended not only Majcen’s value to the team but also his character after his heroics against the Blasters. 

“Luka is the captain of this team and a leader. He’s a great player but I have to say more about his personality. He is an amazing person. He didn’t complain about being on the bench but he realised that I might start with (Mushaga) Bakenga. He’s a great example for the young players who sometimes keep their head down and feel angry or disappointed because you don’t start them or you don’t get them on the bench. We are really lucky to have him. He scored and it’s amazing. Let’s hope that after the foul he received from the opponent, he will be ready for the next game,” he stated in the post-match press conference. 

The first half was a sloppy affair, with both teams losing possession frequently. However, the game sprang to life in the second half with the introduction of Majcen, Leon Augustine, and Asmir Suljic. Dilmperis acknowledged the significant impact of these substitutes and mentioned that he intended to switch to a different formation. However, the crowd noise made it difficult for him to communicate the change effectively to his team.

"In the first half, I think we controlled the game. The opponent had some chances to counter-attack. We built up (well). I don’t know about the possession, but we kept the ball. We had clear chances. We had some shots from outside the box... Some services (to the forward players) were not good. We were not really careful with the quality on the ball... in the last shot or pass,” he revealed. 

“We believed that we would correct all these things in the second half, but the substitutes' opponents confused us a little bit. Noah (Sadaoui) went to the left, where his strong position is, and things became hard for us because he was receiving the ball easily. One of the defending things that we wanted to do didn’t work because we wanted to stop him before he received the ball, and he created a chance with the sub (Jesus Jimenez) and some others but no real danger. After the 60 minutes, we started bringing substitutes after substitutes who helped us a lot. All the boys that came in the game did great, that’s why we scored," he added. 

 

Related tags:

Kerala Blasters FC2024-2025Punjab FC Luka Majcen