Jamshedpur FC

Jamshedpur, January 2: Jamshedpur FC were left frustrated despite dominating possession as Bidhannagar Municipal Sports Academy clinched a narrow 1–0 win in the Reliance Foundation Youth Development League Regional Qualifiers at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Friday.

The Young Men of Steel controlled the game for long periods and attacked in waves, but a compact and disciplined Bidhannagar defence held firm, conceding little space inside the box. In contrast, Bidhannagar made the most of their only shot on target, which proved decisive.

Jamshedpur came close to breaking the deadlock in the 22nd minute following a neat move down the right. Sachin combined well with Lawmsangzuala before delivering a low cross into the box, but Gopal Munda, with the goal at his mercy, could only find the side netting from close range.

Seven minutes later, Bidhannagar struck against the run of play. A cutback from the flank found midfielder Santanu unmarked at the edge of the box, and he unleashed a powerful shot that beat the Jamshedpur goalkeeper to give the visitors the lead.

Jamshedpur responded with a flurry of chances. In the 36th minute, Heeranganba Seram, Lawmsangzuala (Mama) and Rayan C all had efforts on goal in quick succession, but a combination of last-ditch defending and saves from the Bidhannagar goalkeeper kept the scoreline unchanged.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Jamshedpur piling on pressure. The hosts earned four corners in the opening 15 minutes after the restart but were unable to convert any of them. In the 54th minute, Rashithoi Meetei released Seram with a perfectly weighted through ball, but the striker’s effort was once again blocked by the goalkeeper.

Chances continued to come and go. Mama saw a shot from the right flash past the far post in the 55th minute, while Soumik Das’ long-range effort narrowly missed the target in the 67th minute. Ten minutes later, Mama came agonisingly close again, trying to curl home a long ball but missing the target by inches.

Despite sustained pressure and multiple late chances for Seram, Rayan and Mama, Jamshedpur could not find an equaliser as Bidhannagar defended deep with numbers behind the ball to seal the victory.

Jamshedpur FC will look to bounce back in their next match against Sports Odisha on January 4 at the Flatlets Ground.

In other matches of the day, Sports Odisha edged past Football 4 Change 3–2, while Zinc Football Academy registered a comprehensive win by scoring six goals against Chhattisgarh United FC.