Now Reading: Sanathoi’s 95th-minute goal gives Punjab FC 3-2 win over Churchill
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Sanathoi’s 95th-minute goal gives Punjab FC 3-2 win over Churchill
The Story in Brief
Punjab FC snatched a 3-2 away win against Churchill Brothers at Fatorda on Sunday (25 October 2026) after Konsam Sanathoi Singh struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Churchill players surrounded referee R Venkatesh, complaining that Messi Bouli had handled the ball before the pass for the decisive goal, and at least one Churchill player was booked and an official shown a red card. Twice Churchill equalised through Sebastian Gutierrez, cancelling Messi Bouli’s 13th-minute penalty and Alfred Planas’ 40th-minute strike, before Sanathoi scored in only his second ISL appearance.
Championship leaders were booed by home fans as they fought back from a penalty and a Planas finish, then Gutierrez tapped home in second-half stoppage time to level again, but Punjab’s late counter in the 95th minute produced the winner. Punjab coach Pavlos Dermitzakis had said on the eve of the match that late goals show their team’s strength and power. Messi Bouli had scored a 96th-minute winner against Odisha earlier in the season.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Khelnow.com leads with player ratings, treating the 3-2 defeat as a string of individual performances, while Times of India opens with Sanathoi’s celebration and Churchill’s post-match protests, foregrounding the handball controversy. Both outlets report the same goalscorers and timeline. The ratings piece underplays the officiating dispute, mentioning handball appeals in one clause, whereas the Times of India devotes three paragraphs to angry players, a booked athlete, a red card and booing fans. The balanced reading is that neither outlet suppresses the rivalry’s edge, but one weights the match as data and the other as drama. No next step is named by either source, the story closes on the final whistle’s unrest.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): khelnow.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
