Punjab FC beat Odisha FC 2-1 in their opening Indian Super League match of the 2026-27 season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on 14 October 2026, with Raphael Messi Bouli scoring both goals, according to ESPN and India.com. The second goal came with virtually the last kick of the match.
Bouli scored the first goal just 42 seconds into the match, according to ESPN. A flowing team move from back to front ended with a low cross from Muhammad Uvais to the big striker at the back post, and Bouli finished from close range. A goal after 42 seconds is about 0.8 per cent of a 90-minute match, a calculation by IndiaX24.
Odisha equalised in the 15th minute through Thoiba Singh, who was left unmarked from a corner by Puitea and headed into the bottom left corner, according to ESPN. The reports reviewed do not give the minute of Bouli’s winner, only that it came with virtually the last kick of the game.
Punjab dominated, particularly in the second half, and created numerous chances, according to ESPN. Alfred Planas and Diego Raposo nearly added goals but were denied by good defending and by the Odisha goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari. Odisha posed a threat from set pieces late in the match, according to the report.
The result gave Punjab three points from their opening fixture, according to ESPN. IndiaX24 reported earlier that the match was among the opening-week results of the season, without scorers, and the new details are from ESPN’s report of the game.
Bouli’s first goal is notable for its speed. A goal after 42 seconds means that Punjab led for 14 minutes, until Odisha equalised in the 15th minute, a figure that IndiaX24 has worked out from the two times reported. The two goals in the first 15 minutes were followed by a long period of Punjab pressure without a second goal until the last moments, according to ESPN’s description of a dominant second half.
The winning goal came from Punjab’s striker at the end of a match in which the team had created many chances. ESPN’s account names Alfred Planas and Diego Raposo as the players who almost scored, and the Odisha goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari as the one who denied them, which shows that the match was decided by fine margins at both ends.
The match came in a round in which late goals were common. NorthEast United beat Mohun Bagan 1-0 with a goal in the 91st minute, and Bengaluru FC beat SC Delhi 3-2 with a late header, as IndiaX24 has reported. Mohun Bagan won 2-1 against SC Delhi on 16 October with a goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time, according to a search summary of the match record. The league is only in its second matchday, so the table is not yet meaningful.
The ISL returned this season under club control after fifteen months of turmoil, as IndiaX24 has reported. Matches are streamed on the league’s YouTube channel and SonyLIV, according to the league’s match preview. The reports reviewed do not give the attendance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium or the coaches’ comments after the match.
Bouli’s two goals make him an early name in the scoring list. The reports reviewed do not give the full scoring table.
IndiaX24 will report on Punjab FC’s next match.
Image: The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi (file photo). Photo by Sunnya343, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.