Jamshedpur mounted a spectacular second-half comeback to beat Mumbai City 3-2 at the Mumbai Football Arena in the 2023-24 Indian Super League season on Sunday after being two goals down at the break. The win elevated the Red Miners to the sixth spot from the eleventh spot in the league standings.
Jamshedpur coach Khalid Jamil made only one change to the side that played a 1-1 draw with NorthEast United as Jitendra Singh replaced Germanpreet Singh in the defensive midfield position.
Mumbai City coach Petr Kratky was forced to make three changes to the side that defeated Chennaiyin 3-0 in their last ISL fixture on 28th December 2023. Abdelnasser El Khayati was released by the Islanders and his replacement Alberto Noguera started in the attacking midfield position. Ayush Chhikara replaced Jorge Pereyra Diaz upfront after the latter was handed a red card in his last Super Cup match against Odisha.
The home side got the first chance of the game in the 11th minute when Yoell van Nieff made a pass towards Lallianzuala Chhangte in the right flank from the centre circle. Observing the opposition goalkeeper coming out of his line, Chhange chipped the ball over Rehenesh’s head but his effort sailed above the crossbar.
Mumbai City didn’t have to wait long to score their first goal. In the 14th minute, van Nieff curled his corner towards the far post and Tiri whizzed past his marker Rei Tachikawa before stooping low to angle his header into the back of the net.
Chhikara capitalized on a misplaced backpass by Jamshedpur’s Pratik Chaudhari towards his goalkeeper and found the ball on his feet inside the box. However, the youngster’s effort narrowly missed the frame of the goal in the 23rd minute as he aimed for the far post.
In the 26th minute, Vikram Pratap Singh bombarded through the left flank and squared a pass towards Chhangte who burst past his marker Muhammad Uvais. But, the Indian international’s first-time shot rolled past the net.
Alberto Noguera celebrates after scoring Mumbai City’s second goal
Mumba City’s continuous efforts finally bore fruits in the 32nd minute when Chhangte’s looping cross from the right flank found an unmarked Alberto Nogeura inside the box. The Spaniard angled his header into the top corner as the entire Jamshedpur defense and the goalkeeper were rooted still to their spot.
The Islanders almost scored their third goal in the first minute of added time when van Nieff made a defense-splitting grounded pass towards Chhangte inside the box. However, Provat Lakra ditched a last-minute tackle to deny Chhangte a shot at goal.
In the second minute of added time, Chhangte cut past his marker in the right wing and aimed for the top corner from the edge of the box. However, this time, Rehenesh’s agility got the better of him as he dived full stretch and parried the ball to hit the side netting.
Mumbai City started right from where they left off as Rahul Bheke overlapped in the right flank in the 48th minute before crossing the ball low towards the middle. Apuia slipped while trying to take a first-time shot but the rebound fell towards Chhangte. However, the latter’s effort was a feeble one as the ball rolled into the arms of Rehenesh.
In the 51st minute, Chhangte stepped up to take a free-kick from just outside the box after Provat Lakra fouled Vikram in the final third. Rehenesh was rooted to his spot as the ball rippled the side netting.
Jamshedpur coach Khalid Jamil made two changes at the half-time break Laldinpuia replacing Jitendra Singh and Javier Siverio taking the spot of Rei Tachikawak. The two substitutes combined well to score the Red Miners’ first goal in the 55th minute.
Laldinpuia chipped the ball towards Siverio at the box who controlled it with his chest and laid it off for Daniel Chima Chukwu. Phurba Lachenpa came out of his line to save the goal from a point-blank range but the rebound fell towards Imran Khan at the right wing. With no one marking him and an empty goal in sight, Imran blasted the ball past the goal-line to pull one goal back for Jamshedpur.
Jamshedpur silenced the home crowd in the 59th minute when they levelled the proceedings. It all started with Phurba Lachenpa misplacing his goal-kick towards Elsinho. The Brazilian made a pass towards Siverio who in turn laid it off for substitute Mohammed Sanan. The 19-year-old bagged his first ISL assist as he curled the ball towards Jeremy Manzorro who made no mistake with his first-time shot.
In the 81st minute, substitute Bipin Singh crossed the ball towards Chhangte who headed it towards another substitute Iker Guarrotxena who tried to backheel the ball past the goal-line. The ball came off the midriff of Pratik before being ultimately cleared. The Islanders cried foul for a penalty but the referee was right in his decision to not award a goal.
Jamshedpur won a penalty in the 85th minute when Pratik lobbed a long ball towards the opposition third and Chima turned past his marker to release Sanan in the right wing. The youngster laid it off for Chima inside the box and Tiri blocked the Nigerian’s powerful shot. However, Mehtab Singh clipped Chima’s ankles inside the box and the referee was right there in front of him to award the away side a penalty. Manzorro placed the ball into the bottom corner as Lachenpa dived over it to dash Mumbai City’s hopes.
Mumbai City missed a golden opportunity to narrow the gap with Kerala Blasters for the third spot as they now have 22 points from 12 matches. This was their second loss this season after the defeat they suffered against Kerala Blasters on Christmas Eve. They would like to forget all of it when they take on East Bengal next Tuesday away from home.
Jamshedpur, on the other hand, would like to keep the momentum rolling when they host 11th-placed Bengaluru on Sunday at the Furnace.