Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], February 23 (ANI): Jamshedpur FC beat East Bengal FC by 2-1 in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Thursday.
With the win, the Men of Steel reclaimed the sixth spot in the points table.
Jamshedpur’s Rei Tachikawa scored an equaliser in the 80th minute, later it was followed by a winner by French midfielder Jeremy Manzorro in the added time of the second half to clinch three crucial points from the game.
The Red and Golds sealed their first win in six matches when they beat Hyderabad FC by 1-0 away from home last Saturday. However, they started the game against Jamshedpur on the backfoot with Manzorro and Imran Khan troubling Prabsukhan Singh Gill with formidable efforts from in and around the 18-yard box.
Manzorro tore down East Bengal FC’s defence with a pass for Mohammed Sanan on the left flank, and he was well-placed to collect the pass back from him.
However, his shot landed off target. Imran pounced upon that momentum, expressing a sudden burst of pace on the right side of the box to unleash a fierce shot that was kept at bay, but the nervousness was still palpable in the East Bengal FC ranks.
Meanwhile, Nandhakumar Sekar made the first breakthrough in the game, as his partnership with skipper Cleiton Silva reflected in the way the two of them interlinked in a rare moment when Jamshedpur’s backline had gone off-guard.
Cleiton cut into the middle from the left, but his shot took a deflection off Wungngayam Muirang and landed in Nandha’s path, who shot it between the legs of TP Rehenesh to bag the opener heading into the half-time break.
Whilst the Jamshedpur FC kept attack-pounding pressure even after the resumption of play, the visitors arguably took solace in seeking opportunities off the break. In one such counter by the home side, substitute Nikhil Barla shot in a cross from the right that was there for the taking for any Jamshedpur FC forward who threw his hand up.
As the game dug deep, Jamshedpur FC kept creating chances and earning fouls from dangerous positions.
One such free-kick from a promising position at the centre just outside the box drew Manzorro’s attention, in the seventh minute of the added time of the second half. The Frenchman stepped up for the duties and showed tremendous class, composure, and razor-sharp accuracy to curl the ball past a fully stretched Gill and complete an emphatic comeback for Jamshedpur FC. (ANI)
