ISL 2026-27: Gurkirat's 90th-minute header earns Punjab FC a 1-1 draw with Mumbai City
Substitute Gurkirat Singh scored in the 90th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for Punjab FC against Mumbai City FC in their Indian Super League 2026-27 fixture at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday, after Leandro Otormín had given the Islanders a 65th-minute lead from the penalty spot. The late header from Gurkirat, assisted by a cross from Sanathoi Meetei, denied Mumbai City all three points.
Punjab made one change to the side that began their season opener, with head coach Pavlos Dermitzakis selecting young forward Vishal Yadav in place of the injured Alfred Planas Moya; Yadav became the third-youngest player to start for Punjab FC in the Indian Super League. The Shers had opened their campaign with a last-minute winner against Odisha FC and started this match determined to extend that positive start.
The match began at a brisk tempo with Punjab creating early chances; Rishikanta Meitei’s fourth-minute right-footed effort forced Mumbai goalkeeper Rehenesh T.P. into a save and punch to concede a corner. Mumbai threatened through wide play, with Khaiminthang Lhungdim conceding a 10th-minute corner from which Otormín headed narrowly wide, and Muhammad Uvais blocking Noufal P.N.’s forward run in the 15th minute.
Brandon Fernandes tested Punjab goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh with a left-footed attempt in the 22nd minute which was saved, and Arshdeep recovered seconds later to deny another opportunity after a loose touch. Punjab created openings down the left in the 33rd minute when Muhammad Suhail and Raphaël Messi Bouli combined, but Vishal Yadav could not reach the cutback. Bijoy Varghese and Nikhil Prabhu blocked successive efforts from Otormín and Fernandes in the 34th minute, and Rishikanta Meitei was replaced by Bishu Sharma with an injury in the 36th minute; the teams went into half-time level at 0-0 after Khaiminthang Lhungdim’s stoppage-time strike hit the crossbar.
Mumbai began the second half on the front foot, with Akash Mishra’s left-sided work defended by Lhungdim and Farukh Choudhary sending a header wide from a cross. Punjab looked to respond through Diego Raposo’s pass to Bishu Sharma in the 51st minute, but the delivery was blocked, and Bijoy Varghese intercepted Noufal’s cross in the 56th minute. The decisive moment arrived in the 63rd minute when Noufal drove forward, Bijoy slipped while tracking him and the referee awarded a penalty; Otormín converted two minutes later with a right-footed effort into the bottom-right corner to make it 1-0.
Punjab pushed forward after going behind and Arshdeep kept them in the contest with a save from Akash Mishra’s header in the 74th minute while Muhammad Suhail’s attempt was blocked. Sanathoi Meetei supplied a dangerous left-sided cross in the 78th minute that was intercepted by Carlos Delgado, and a header from Sanathoi off a set-piece delivery by Arshvir Singh in the 87th minute went wide.
Sanathoi’s left-wing cross in the 90th minute found substitute Gurkirat Singh inside the box and his powerful header into the top-left corner beat Rehenesh to level the score at 1-1; Raphaël Messi Bouli then tested Rehenesh in the 92nd minute but the goalkeeper saved, and the match finished all square. The draw moved Punjab FC to third in the ISL 2026-27 standings with four points from their opening two matches, keeping their unbeaten start to the season intact.