Mahindra score over
Punjab Police

Mahindra United made most of defensive lapses to beat Punjab Police 2-0 in a Tata National Football League match in Jalandhar on Thursday.

They led 1-0 at half-time.

After missing the target in the very first minute, Mahindra took the lead in the next through a solo effort from their Nigerian recruit Austin Okolo, who caught the Police napping as he worked his way into the box.

In the ninth minute, the policemen missed a golden opportunity to draw level. Striker Sher Singh gave a brilliant pass from the left flank to Gurinder Pal Singh, but the latter's shot was smartly saved by rival Mahindra custodian Naseem Akhtar.

Mahindra medio S Venkatesh put the ball into the net in the 24th minute but the referee ruled him off-side.

Thereafter the Mumbai side called the shots but found Police goalkeeper Satish Kumar hard to beat.

The fast-paced second half saw Mahindra dominate for most of the time. They finally increased the lead when Mohammad Najeeb made it 2-0, heading home an excellent flag kick from Biby Thomas.

In the 87th minute Punjab Police came by their best chance to reduce the margin but Parveen Kumar's powerful shot was well-saved by Nassem Akhtar.

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