Two goals in the space of two minutes left Jamshedpur FC rooted to the spot. The Red Miners had surrendered what looked like a comfortable lead to a struggling NorthEast United, which they stole back late on to seal all three points.
With nothing but pride left to play for, a struggling NorthEast United proved more of a challenge to the in-form Jamshedpur than they would’ve hoped for. On Friday night at the Fatorda, the Red Miners squandered a two-goal lead to the Highlanders but, with minutes remaining, stole it back through Jordan Murray and protected it for whatever time that remained to secure maximum points.
After seeing their early penalty appeals shunned by the officials, Jamshedpur took the lead in the 35th minute. A deep, inswinging cross from Mobashir Rahman found its way to the back post, where it was headed into the ground and past a flailing Mirshad Michu by Seiminlen Doungel for the opening goal.
Owen Coyle’s men doubled their advantage after the interval through Greg Stewart; played in behind the NorthEast United defenсe with a quick free-kick, the forward dribbled past his marker and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
Six minutes after the hour-mark, the Highlanders struck back. A long-range shot from Marcelinho was spilled by Rehenesh TP into the feet of Laldanmawia Ralte, and the attacker poked it home from close range. A minute later, Pragyan Gogoi split the defenсe open with a threaded through-pass for Marcelinho, who took it round the goalkeeper and tapped it into an empty net to restore parity.
A stunned Jamshedpur’s attempts to hit back were met by strong defenсe from the opposition, that is, until the 84th minute when Stewart combined with Jordan Murray to restore Jamshedpur’s advantage. The Scotsman dinked the ball over the defence for Murray, and the forward guided it past Michu on the volley.
This time, the Red Miners’ advantage held, as they saw out the remainder of the game to seal an important win. With three matches to go, they find themselves a point behind leaders Hyderabad – with a game in hand. Furthermore, they play the Nizams next in a match, which could decide the Indian Super League Winners Shield.
