Three-nil up at half-time, a rampant Jamshedpur FC brushed aside Chennaiyin to consolidate their top-four spot and gave themselves a boost in their League Winners Shield chances.
They are not there just yet, but a 4-1 win over Chennaiyin FC at the Tilak Maidan on Sunday night all but confirms Jamshedpur FC’s place in the Indian Super League post-season playoffs. The Red Miners have four games in hand and the second spot on the table; it will take a disaster hereafter for them to drop out of the championship race. Meanwhile, not even a miracle can save Chennaiyin’s season – the Marina Machans are out of the race for the top four with this defeat.
2021/2022 ISL: top 4
| # | Team | Matches played | Goal difference | Points |
| 1 | Hyderabad | 17 | +21 | 32 |
| 2 | Jamshedpur | 16 | +12 | 31 |
| 3 | ATK Mohun Bagan | 16 | +9 | 30 |
| 4 | Kerala Blasters | 16 | +6 | 27 |
The game promised plenty early on and delivered on it as it progressed. The two teams had shared 43 shots by the time the referee blew his final whistle to signal the end of the ninety with Jamshedpur producing almost twice as many shots as their opponents; that translated itself on the scoreline, too, as the Red Miners raced into a three-goal lead before the interval.
The game’s first telling contribution came in the 23rd minute, through Ritwik Das. The youngster grabbed his second goal in as many games when he turned a loose ball past Debjit Majumder in goal after Rahim Ali had blocked Peter Hartley’s header on the line.
Ten minutes later, Greg Stewart burst into the Chennaiyin box, wrestling his way past the defenders to lay the ball on a plate for Boris Singh Thangjam for the tap-in. 2-0 Jamshedpur led by the 33rd minute, and by the 40th, Daniel Chima Chukwu had added another. The forward collected the ball just inside the box – a clearing header by Eli Sabia finding its way through to him – before moving it onto his left and scoring with a low shot into the corner.
Stewart’s deflected shot made it 4-0 to Jamshedpur seconds after the restart, the Scotsman capitalizing on Chennaiyin losing the ball high up inside their half. Nerijus Valskis pulled one back in the 61st minute when he slammed a loose ball into the net after TP Rehenesh had stopped Ariel Borysiuk from distance.
But that was as close as Chennaiyin would come to matching their opponents on the night – the third loss in four leaving them out of top-four contention.
