In the fiercely contested Steel Derby, Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. Despite falling behind in the first half, Jamshedpur showed resilience to fight back and secure a point at home. The crowd came in huge numbers at The Furnace to cheer and roar the team on for a win, but the Men of Steel were unlucky to secure all 3 points from the game.
The match held significant implications for the league standings, leaving NorthEast United in 6th place with 16 points, Bengaluru FC in 7th with 15 points, and Jamshedpur FC closely behind in 8th place with 14 points.
The first half saw Bengaluru FC take the lead in the 14th minute through a stunning strike from Suresh Singh, assisted by Sunil Chhetri. The visitors maintained their narrow advantage until halftime, despite Jamshedpur piling on the pressure on on their rivals. Rei Tachikawa came close on multiple occassions with one of his efforts hitting the bar and one more expertly saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after a buoyant dribble by Dinpuia found the Japanese midfielder. The onus was on Jamshedpur to respond in the second half.
And respond they did, with Javi Siverio finding the net in the 70th minute for Jamshedpur. The newest addition to the squad made sure he struck his first goal for the Men of Steel and unlock the Bengaluru defence. A well-executed corner by Imran Khan found Siverio, who headed the ball into the bottom right corner, drawing the hosts level and setting up a tense final few minutes.
Jamshedpur pushed for a winner, and as the match intensified it lead to several bookings. Jamshedpur's Javi Siverio and Bengaluru FC's Gurpreet Singh Sandhu both received yellow cards in the dying minutes as both players vied for the ball in the box.
The draw leaves both teams still in search of upward mobility in the league standings. Jamshedpur FC, while showing character to come from behind, will rue missed opportunities to clinch all three points.
The Steel Derby once again lived up to its billing, delivering a thrilling contest filled with passion, skill, and drama.
Jamshedpur go away to Delhi to play Punjab FC in the next game on Feb 15th, Thursday at 7:30 PM. Watch the game LIVE on Sports 18, VH1 or Jio Cinema as the Men of Steel continue to push for the play-off spot in the final stage of the league.
