New Delhi: A seven-minute triple-goal burst early in the first half helped Jamshedpur FC beat Hyderabad FC 3-2 despite playing most of the second half with just ten men in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.
Hyderabad FC made seven changes to their line-up. The new-look side made a slick start to the game, but it was a familiar name in Bartholomew Ogbeche who put them in front. The striker leaped between two defenders from a Rohit Danu corner to put his team 1-0 up in the 12th minute.
But Jamshedpur FC drew level in the 22nd minute, after moving the ball out wide to right-back Boris Singh. The winger’s high cross hung up at the far post, where Ritwik Das climbed above Reagan Singh to head it home.
A few minutes later, Harry Sawyer got on the end of a low cross from the left, which was saved acrobatically by Lalbiakhlua Jongte on his ISL debut. From the resulting corner, Sawyer’s header was deflected by Ogbeche’s outstretched arm, and Jongte was sent the wrong way by Jay Thomas from the spot as Jamshedpur FC went ahead.
Things got even worse for Hyderabad FC, when Sawyer won an aerial duel in midfield to head the ball towards Daniel Chukwu in the 29th minute. Chukwu outmuscled Nim Dorjee to get a clear path on goal, before chipping over Jongte from outside the box to make it 3-1.
Hyderabad FC were given a way back into the game when Vishal Yadav’s slip during a goalkick put Javier Siverio one-on-one with him. Siverio was brought down by last man Eli Sabia, who was promptly sent off in the 56th minute.
The home side made four changes in the second half, with Joao Victor returning to action, but struggled to break through Jamshedpur FC’s defence. That was until the 74th minute, when Ricky Lallawmawma’s hand made contact with the ball. Victor stepped up to take the penalty, but Yadav went to his right to deny Hyderabad FC.
In the 79th minute, Abdul Anjukandan’s cross from the right found its way through traffic to Ogbeche at the far post, who brought it under control and managed to get power on his shot despite losing his footing. It bobbled off Yadav into the near post to give the home team another way back.
Ogbeche was at it again in the 84th minute, leaping in a similar fashion to his first goal, but unable to keep his header under the crossbar. That was the closest they would come to an equaliser before Yadav leaped to his left to save a Siverio header in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
The result didn’t have any bearing on the next stage of the tournament, but lifted Jamshedpur FC into ninth place ahead of East Bengal FC. Their last game of the season is at home against Odisha FC on February 22. Hyderabad FC will draw the curtains on this season’s league stage with an away game against Kerala Blasters on February 26.
(IANS)
