Jamshedpur FC

Jamshedpur, July 29: Jamshedpur FC secured their second win of the Durand Cup campaign with a narrow but hard-earned 1-0 victory over Indian Army Football Team in front of home fans at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Tuesday. Sanan Mohammed's 52nd-minute strike proved to be the difference where both sides battled intensely till the final whistle.

Head coach Khalid Jamil made two changes to the starting XI that had impressed in the opener, bringing in midfielder Sourav Das and defender Karthik. The first half, however, saw limited clear chances for either side. Vincy Barretto came closest for JFC with a shot from distance that flew over the crossbar, while goalkeeper Amrit Gope stayed sharp, pulling off a vital save in added time before the break.

At half-time, it was completely different story as the home side showed more intent. Khalid Jamil introduced fresh legs, with Suhair VP and Nikhil Barla replacing Pronay Halder and Vincy, aiming to inject more directness into the attack.

The move paid off quickly. Just seven minutes after the restart, a loose ball inside the Indian Army box fell kindly for Sanan, who calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner to put JFC ahead. The goal opened up the game, with JFC pushing to extend their lead while Army remained dangerous on the counter.

Suhair nearly doubled the lead with a powerful angled effort from the left, only for the Army goalkeeper to deny him. Barla too had a golden chance late in the game when he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his effort was blocked.

The match turned even more dramatic in stoppage time. In 2nd minute of the added time, Indian Army’s goalkeeper Sayad Bin Abdul Kadir received a straight red card after bringing down Jayesh Rane outside the box during a counterattack.

Suhail also had a great chance to seal it, but his powerful shot rattled the crossbar in the 95 th minute.
Despite late pressure, JFC held firm to maintain their clean sheet and claim all three points.

With two wins in two matches, Jamshedpur FC now top their group heading into the final group-stage clash against 1 Ladakh FC on August 8. The team will look to carry forward their momentum and seal a spot in the knockouts.