Gurkirat Singh headed in a 90th-minute equaliser as Punjab FC drew 1-1 with Mumbai City FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday. Leandro Otormín’s penalty had put Mumbai ahead, and the point keeps Punjab unbeaten and third in the Indian Super League table.
New Delhi, India: Punjab FC had spent more than 20 minutes chasing a penalty goal when Sanathoi Meitei swung a cross in from the left and Gurkirat Singh met it at close range, heading into the top-left corner. It was Gurkirat’s first goal for Punjab, and it came against Mumbai City, the club he used to play for.
A first half of near-misses
The opening 45 minutes produced chances but no goal. Rishikanta Meitei tested Rehenesh T P with a long-range effort in the fourth minute, and Arshdeep Singh made saves at the other end to deny Brandon Fernandes in the opening half-hour. Khaiminthang Lhungdim’s curling shot hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
Both sides also lost players. Punjab replaced the injured Rishikanta Meitei in the 36th minute, and Mumbai City’s Vikram Partap Singh was forced off after a tackle, with Farukh Chaudhary taking his place. Punjab coach Pavlos Dermitzakis had made one change from the side that beat Odisha FC, starting Vishal Yadav in place of the injured Alfred Planas Moya.
Varghese slips, Otormín scores
The deadlock broke in the 63rd minute. Bijoy Varghese slipped while challenging PN Noufal in the Punjab box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Leandro Otormín sent his penalty into the bottom-right corner to give Mumbai City the lead.
Punjab pushed for an answer. Arshdeep Singh kept out Akash Mishra’s header in the 74th minute, a save that kept the deficit at one goal and left the equaliser still within reach.
Gurkirat’s late answer
That answer arrived through two second-half substitutes. Meitei’s delivery from the left found Gurkirat, who had come on after the break, and his header levelled the match on the 90th minute. Messi Bouli, the striker who won the Odisha game for Punjab in the fifth minute of stoppage time, had a left-footed effort saved by Rehenesh in the 92nd minute as Punjab went looking for a winner.
What the point means
The draw leaves Punjab on four points from two matches after a 2-1 opening win over Odisha FC on 14 October. Mumbai City remain winless with one point from two games. The league season is only days old: Bengaluru FC beat SC Delhi 3-2 in the opener on 10 October, and Mohun Bagan came from behind to beat SC Delhi at the same Delhi ground on Friday. For Punjab, an unbeaten start has come from a stoppage-time winner and a last-gasp equaliser.
Result: Punjab FC 1 (Gurkirat Singh 90′) Mumbai City FC 1 (Leandro Otormín, pen). Half-time: 0-0.
Competition: Indian Super League 2026-27, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, Monday 19 October 2026.
