Punjab FC assistant coach Sankarlal Chakraborty expressed his disappointment as his team suffered a narrow defeat against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

Dimitri Petratos' clinical volley from just outside the box in the 42nd minute of the match was the difference between the two sides. The result saw Mohun Bagan SG reclaim the second position on the league table, scraping past a resilient Punjab FC.

With this loss, the Shers have lost their opportunity to make it through to the playoffs in their inaugural ISL season. Currently, only Bengaluru FC, NorthEast United, Chennaiyin FC, and East Bengal FC remain in contention for the final playoff berth. 

FULL-TIME.#PFCMBSG #PFC pic.twitter.com/DxRFRnk3Ip

— Punjab FC (@RGPunjabFC) April 6, 2024

"Unfortunate result for us. But overall, we played a good competitive game," stated Chakraborty, speaking to www.indiansuperleague.com after the match. 

He continued, "In the first half, we did not get much of the ball but, at the same time, even they (Mohun Bagan SG) did not have any clear chances. We came back stronger in the second half and created many chances, but we were unlucky to not have converted them."

Lamenting their missed opportunities, having failed to convert any of their seven attempted shots, the head coach shared his insights into what his team could have done better to secure a satisfactory result. 

"We needed to be more clean up front. As I said, we created many chances in the second half but we missed that finishing touch," he said. 

Punjab FC previously announced on Thursday that due to unforeseen circumstances, their final two home games of the season, against Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal FC were to be played behind closed doors. 

On being asked whether the absence of the fans made any difference, Chakraborty replied, "To an extent, yes. Maybe the push from the fans would have been the motivating factor for the players to go for either a draw or a win."

Punjab FC take the pitch next against East Bengal FC, on April 10, when they host the Red and Gold Brigade for the final game of their first-ever ISL season. 

Although disappointed with the loss against Mohun Bagan SG, the 48-year-old shared a strong desire to end the season with a win in their upcoming match.

"We all are a bit disappointed to be out of the top six race. But we still have one more game to go. We would definitely want to finish our first ISL season on a high," he signed off.