Pune FC blank Pailan Arrows

Pune FC returned to winning ways, defeating a spirited Pailan Arrows 2-0, in a Round 5 I-League fixture that halted the AIFF developmental outfit's unbeaten run in Kolkata on Friday.

In a dominating display by the visitors, Karma Tsewang gave Pune FC the lead in the 11th minute while Subhas Singh completed the tally in the 47th.

Just a minute after James Moga's header from a free-kick went wide, Pune FC went one up when Karma converted another Moga header in similar fashion.

This is Pune FC's first victory after two back-to-back defeats, against East Bengal and Churchill Brothers, and swelled their tally to nine points, while Pailan remain on eight points, after five matches each.

It was an aggressive display by Pune FC, who pressed hard from the start against the promising local youngsters.

There were some shots from long range, but those were off target even as Pune FC missed one almost at the breather, when Izumi Arata squandered an excellent move by Japanese recruit Daisuke Nishiguchi.

The miss at the stroke of half-time did not cost the Pune team much as they increased the lead after the changeover when Moga again got into the act with another fine header that Subash converted with a scorcher from the top of the box.

The local challengers came close to scoring in the 70th minute through Holicharan Narzary, but Pune goalkeeper Shahin Lal Meloly pulled off a brilliant save.