Jamshedpur FC came from behind to beat FC Goa 2-1 in Gameweek 1 of the Indian Super League at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao, Goa on Tuesday, September 17.
Dejan Drazic joined Sadiku, Boris, and Brison Fernandes in leading Goa’s attack, while Siveiro, Sanan, Imran Khan, and new signing Javi Hernandez spearheaded the frontline for Khalid’s Jamshedpur FC.
Substitute Jordan Murray, returning to the club he left in 2022, was the hero for the Men of Steel as he put away a stunning curler in stoppage time. All of Fatorda stood up in silence and watched as their side squandered the advantage they had.
Earlier, Javier Siverio won and converted a penalty in the 75th minute to equalize for Jamshedpur after Armando Sadiku had given Goa the lead late on in the first half owing to an error from goalkeeper Albino Gomes.
Siverio’s penalty call seemed dubious after fellow Spaniard Odei Onaindia merely tugged at his shirt inside the box, leading the former to fall in a heap and referee Harish Kundu pointing to the spot in a jiffy. This was the first penalty Onaindia has ever conceded in the ISL.
The Gaurs dominated the game in its entirety, only to fall short at the threshold of victory, and allowing Khalid Jamil’s side to fly away without any restraint at all. Manolo Marquez will wonder as to what to make of the 62 per cent possession his team had in this match.
An error from Jamshedpur’s Albino handed FC Goa the lead in the first half
Jamshedpur tried to manage the game well and put an end to all speculation after Siverio’s equaliser, but it was a stray pass by Mobashir Rahman that found substitute Murray in stoppage time in the second half.
The latter accelerated in a huff and tried to curl the ball away from a diving Laxmikant Kattimani, only for the ball to hit the post and dribble into the net even as most of the faithful at Fatorda stood and gasped in disbelief at what had just happened.
Marquez, hamstrung by injuries, seemed content to give Sadiku all ninety minutes to play at the centre of his attacking line, and the Albanian tested Jamshedpur’s keeper Gomes plenty of times, albeit from long range.
It was just such a random tester that ultimately went into the back of the net for Sadiku late on in the first half when Gomes – returning to Goa after having spent a season in Hyderabad with Sreenidi Deccan – fumbled to allow the ball to bypass him.
To his credit, the Goan rectified his error soon enough and was seen at his best when it came to handling and distributing the ball in the second half. Another Goan – Kattimani – helmed the goalpost of the home team in this game.
While Jamil will be delighted with the result here – he had never won against Marquez in the past – the latter will be distraught with the way his team squandered the early lead that they had.
A lot of fingers will be pointed at the way Marquez’s protege Siverio won his penalty, but the Gaurs were guilty of letting the game slip away from them and not putting an end to it when they had the chance to do so.
Jamshedpur FC will next host last year’s ISL Cup winners Mumbai City on Saturday, September 21 while FC Goa travel to Calcutta to take on Mohammedan SC later the same day.
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