The young lads of Jamshedpur FC displayed sheer dominance when they defeated FC Goa with a large margin of 5-1 in their previous game in the Reliance Foundation Development League. After taking down the Gaurs in a one-sided battle, Jamshedpur FC faced Kerala Blasters FC in their next game with the aim of continuing their undefeated run in the league to keep climbing up on the league table.
What was meant to be a battle of equals between two evenly-matched teams, who were undefeated in the league and had their eyes set on the winning points, ended up being an unfortunate loss for the lads repping the Jamshedpur crest. At the end of the ninety minutes, the Kerala Blasters’ sharp tactics and strong approach on the pitch paid off, as they kept Jamshedpur's physical attacking danger at bay while they kept their goal scoring prowess intact.
Kerala had the right mix of players to carry out their strategy against an in-form Jamshedpur squad as they built a good play in the 27th minute after which Sreekuttan M.S. cut back for Nihal, who broke the deadlock from close range, taking them to the lead before the 30th minute mark and closed the first half with a slim lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Tuskers’ Ayush Adhikari's free kick was spilled by Vishal Yadav in the Jamshedpur goal but after that, an attempt from Vincy Barretto on goal led to a fine save by Yadav. Kerala Blasters took charge of the game in the second period after dictating the pace of the game in the first. Later, the Tuskers’ who were already in an advantage, doubled their lead when Barretto laid it off for Nihal in the box as he placed the ball into an empty net after seeing the keeper leave his line, thus extending their advantage over Jamshedpur FC.
The Tuskers grabbed all the 3 points at the end of the fixture to maintain their unbeaten streak while Jamshedpur FC suffered their first defeat in the Reliance Foundation Development League at the Benaulim Ground.
With the end of this game, Jamshedpur FC are halfway through their RFDL campaign and currently have seven points from the four games that they've played which sees them positioned in the 3rd place in the league table.
