Jamshedpur strikes late to pip Goa in Durand Cup 2022
A late strike from Tapan Halder helped Jamshedpur beat Goa 1-0 in their Group A encounter of Durand Cup 2022 at the Salt Lake Stadium Stadium in Kolkata. The loss puts a dent in the defending champion’s ambitions to qualify for the knockout stages of the historic tournament as they now have just three points from three games.
Goa made only one change to the side that beat the Indian Air Force as Shanon Viegas replaced Mevan Dias in the heart of the midfield. The Gaurs fielded themselves in a 4-3-3 formation with Hrithik Tiwari guarding the goal.
The quartet of Salman Faris, Mallikjan Kalegar, Lesly Rebello, and Deeshank Kunkalikar formed the back four while Viegas, Lalremruata HP, and Ayush Chhetri played in the midfield. Phrangki Buam, Delton Colaco, and Muhammed Nemil formed the front three.
After suffering a 3-0 loss to Mohammedan, Jamshedpur made two changes to their side. Piyush Thakuri and Hijam Lenin Singh were relegated to the bench as Nikhil Barla and Kamlesh were promoted to the starting eleven.
The Red Miners took the first shot of the game in the 20th minute when Lalruatmawia unleashed a scorching strike from distance but Goa custodian Hrithik Tiwari was up to the task to save the effort.
In the 30th minute, Nikhil Barla’s crossfield pass went through the mouth of the goal as Lalruatmawia failed to get a faint touch. Jamshedpur’s Keisan Angelo Singh went for glory from outside the box in the 40th minute but his efforts trickled wide.
Jamshedpur kept on knocking on Goa’s doors and was presented with a wonderful opportunity in the 72nd minute when the referee pointed towards the spot. Goa captain Lesly Rebello tripped Lalruatmawia inside the box and Vinil Poojary stepped up to take it. However, Hrithik responded brilliantly to save the penalty.
Goa got a wonderful opportunity to take the lead three minutes later when Muhammad Nemil released Phrangki Buam through on goal. Despite having plenty of time on his hands, Buam shot the ball straight into the hands of Jamshedpur goalkeeper Mohit Singh Dhami from a one-on-one position.
Just when it seemed the match would head towards a stalemate, Phijam Vikash Singh lobbed a cross into the centre of the box to find a Jamshedpur player. Substitute Tapan Halder ran past his marker and rolled the ball between the legs of the keeper into the net to break the deadlock.
Goa tried their best but was unable to find the equalizer as Jamshedpur found their first points in Durand Cup 2022. The former will square off against former ISL champions Bengaluru on Tuesday while the latter will take on Indian Air Force on Wednesday in their respective final group stage matches.
Mohammedan and Bengaluru look like the red hot favorites to qualify from Group A for the quarter-finals as a draw for either side would take them to the knockout stages.
