Ogbeche brace goes in vain as Jamshedpur trounces Hyderabad 3-2

Jamshedpur picked up three points at the fag end of the season as they beat Hyderabad 3-2 at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad in their 2022-23 Indian Super League season. Bartholomew Ogbeche struck a brace on either side of the half-time but goals from Ritwik Das, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, and Daniel Chima Chukwu in the first half ensured Jamshedpur had the last laugh. 

Jamshedpur played in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Vishal Yadav guarding the sticks. Ricky Lallawmawma, Eli Sabia, Pratik Chaudhari, and Laldinliana Renthlei formed the back four. Ritwik Das, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Pronay Halder, and Boris Thangjam played in the midfield while Harry Sawyer and Daniel Chukwu played as the two strikers. 

Hyderabad started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Lalbiakhlua Jongte playing as the goalkeeper. Reagan Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Nim Dorjee Tamang, and Akash Mishra formed the back four with Sahil  Tavora and Borja Herrera playing as the two defensive midfielders. Abdul Rabeeh, Bartholomew Ogbeche, and Rohit Danu formed the attacking midfield trio as Javier Siverio played as the lone striker. 

Hyderabad created the first chance of the game in the 11th minute when Siverio’s low cross from the left flank flashed through the face of the goal but Ogbeche failed to get there in time. However, the Nigerian didn’t have to wait long to find his name in the scoresheet as he angled his header off a Borja Herrera corner-kick to find the roof of the net. 

The lead lasted for only nine minutes as Ritwik leapt above Reagen to head home a looping cross from Boris Thangjam. Ricky made an overlapping run in the 23rd minute as Harry Sawyer took a shot into the bottom corner. However, Jongte extended his legs just in time to concede a corner kick. 

Harry Sawyer’s header off the subsequent corner kick struck the palm of Ogbeche and after consultation with the linesman, the referee pointed towards the spot. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas waited for the goalkeeper to dive to his left and placed the ball at the other end to give the visitors the lead. 

Daniel Chukwu increased the lead to two goals in the 29th minute when he beat Nim Dorjee Tamang with pace and dinked the ball over the reach of the goalkeeper. Sawyer’s low cross towards the far post found Boris but his tame shot was palmed away by Jongte in the 31st minute.  

Pronay Halder unleashed a shot from a distance in the opening minute of the second half but that was comfortably saved by Jongte. Hyderabad was given a lifeline in the 55th minute when Vishal Yadav miscued his goal kick and Siverio found himself through on goal. Eli Sabia pulled him down and the referee gave him the marching orders. 

Reagan Singh went for glory in the 67th minute from outside the box but his attempt sailed over the crossbar. Rohit Danu made a low cross a few minutes later that beat the goalkeeper but Pratik Chaudhari made a goal-line clearance to keep Jamshedpur’s two-goal lead intact. 

In the 74th minute, Abdul Rabeeh’s cross into the box was handled by Ricky and the referee pointed towards the spot. Joao Victor stepped up to take the penalty but Vishal Yadav dived perfectly to save the shot. Ogbeche controlled Rabeeh’s pass in the 79th minute and beat the keeper from close range to reduce the deficit. 

Ogbeche’s header in the 84th minute sailed just inches above the crossbar as the clock continued ticking. In the 10th minute of additional time, Siverio thumped his header hard and low. However, Vishal Yadav was up to the challenge and held on for dear life. 

With only one game remaining, Jamshedpur has 16 points in their bag. Although they are level on points with East Bengal, they are behind them in the points table in terms of head-to-head record. The Red Miners face Odisha on Wednesday in their last match of the league. 

As far as Hyderabad are concerned, they have already booked their place in the semi-finals and will finish in the second spot. They will square off against Kerala Blasters on Wednesday and will aim to finish on 42 points by the end of the league phase of the tournament.