Jamshedpur FC

Bhubaneswar, April 30: Jamshedpur FC booked their place in the final of the 2025 Kalinga Super Cup for the with a gritty and historic 1-0 win over Mumbai City FC at the Kalinga Stadium. In a tense semifinal clash, Rei Tachikawa’s stunning long-range strike in the 87th minute sealed the victory, propelling JFC to their first-ever Super Cup final after three consecutive semifinal appearances.

The match was a tactical battle from the start, with Jamshedpur enjoying more possession and creating the better chances. The first real opening came in the 28th minute when Stephen Eze thought he had given JFC the lead with a header off a free-kick, only for the referee to flag him offside, cutting short the celebrations.

Jamshedpur continued to push forward with Jordan Murray heading straight at Mumbai goalkeeper TP Rehenesh from a Rei Tachikawa cross in the 31st minute. Mumbai, meanwhile, were kept at bay by a resolute JFC defence and a composed midfield that controlled the tempo.
In the second half, it was all Jamshedpur FC. The half started with Siverio’s bouncing header was easily gathered by Rehenesh, but the real drama began in the hour mark.

Sanan burst through the left flank, wriggled past defenders and set up Eze, whose powerful shot rattled the far post in the 60th minute. Just minutes later, Pronay Halder unleashed a long-range effort that needed a fingertip save from Rehenesh, with the ball grazing the crossbar. Before that, Javi Hernández had his shot blocked in the box amidst loud appeals for a penalty, which were waved away.

The breakthrough finally came in the 87th minute. After a Sanan cross was poorly cleared by the Mumbai defence, the ball fell perfectly for Rei Tachikawa outside the box. The Japanese midfielder made no mistake, driving home a low shot that beat the keeper and sent the Men of Steel into the final.

JFC managed the final minutes smartly, defending in numbers and frustrating Mumbai’s attempts at a comeback. The final whistle confirmed a historic milestone Jamshedpur FC reaching their first-ever Super Cup final, and doing it in style by defeating a side they had already beaten twice in the ISL season.

Jamshedpur FC will now face FC Goa in the grand finale of Kalinga Super Cup on May 3 at Bhubaneswar.