Punjab FC stun Md Sporting 3-1

Kolkata:

Mohammedan

Sporting’s hopes for a return to the top of the I-League table suffered a jolt with a 1-3 loss to Punjab FC in Naihati on Sunday. A brace from Kurtis

Guthrie

and one from substitute Rupert Nongrum gave the Punjab side a deserving victory, which took them to the third place with 20 points from 10 matches.

Mohammedan Sporting

stayed in the second place with 22 points, two points behind defending champs Gokulam Kerala FC. Guthrie opened the scoring for Punjab in the tenth minute, moments after Mohammedan spurned an opportunity to score. Guthrie drifted in and took on two Mohammedan defenders before slotting the ball past a rooted

Zothanmawia

. The city side tried to stage a comeback when Nikola Stojanovic made it 1-1 in the 32nd minute. But Guthrie restored Punjab FC’s lead within four minutes and Rupert Nongrum sealed the deal in the 82nd minute. I-LEAGUE RESULTS: Kenkre FC 1 (Cisse 49 og) Churchill Brothers 2 (Tursunov 75, Ikechuwku 81); Rajasthan United FC 2 (Alocious M 75, Manzi 90) Real Kashmir FC 2 (Robertson 4, 43); Mohammedan Sporting 1 (Stojanovic 32) Punjab 3 (Kurtis Guthrie 10, 36; Rupert Nongrum 82).