Jamshedpur FC suffered a tough defeat against Indian Army in the Indian Oil Durand Cup today, losing 3-2 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. Despite taking an early lead and dominating much of the match, Jamshedpur FC could not hold on, allowing Indian Army to stage a dramatic comeback in the final 20 minutes.
It was an electric start to the game as Jamshedpur FC pressed high. The first action of the match came only six minutes in with Albino Gomes making a crucial save, diving to deny Indian Army an early breakthrough. Jamshedpur FC continued to press forward, with Rei Tachikawa taking a well-placed free kick in the 16th minute, which was headed by Javi Siverio. The Indian Army goalkeeper, however, managed to deflect the ball, keeping the scoreline level.
In the 21st minute, the game took a worrying turn when Samir Murmu and Ashutosh Mehta collided in mid-air while contesting a header. Ashutosh Mehta suffered a severe head injury and had to be taken off the field in an ambulance. Shubham Sarangi was brought on as a substitute in the 26th minute, replacing the injured Mehta.
The breakthrough for Jamshedpur FC came in the 39th minute when the referee awarded a penalty after a foul in the box. Siverio stepped up confidently and converted the penalty in the 42nd minute, giving Jamshedpur FC a well-deserved lead. The momentum stayed with Jamshedpur FC as the first half neared its end. In stoppage time, Aniket Jadhav came close with a 1v1 opportunity to increase the lead, but missed. However, Javi Siverio immediately made up for the miss as he struck again in 45+3', this time from a corner kick taken by Imran Khan. The ball, deflected by multiple players, found Siverio, who made no mistake in doubling Jamshedpur FC’s advantage.
Despite several attacks from Jamshedpur FC, including a direct shot from Rei in the 53rd minute and a near-miss from Nikhil Barla in the 67th minute, Indian Army’s goalkeeper stood firm. Albino Gomes continued to make crucial saves, but the tide began to turn in the 70th minute when Rahul Ramakrishnan of Indian Army scored, halving Jamshedpur FC’s lead.
Indian Army’s resurgence continued in the 77th minute when Alan Thappa equalized, stunning the home crowd. The comeback was completed in the 83rd minute when Vikash Thappa scored the third and decisive goal for Indian Army, securing a 3-2 victory.
The result means Jamshedpur FC have to wait for other group stage results to know if they are one of the best placed 2nd-place teams in the tournament to be able to go through to the next round. The squad will continue it's pre-season preparations with the Indian Super League season less than a month away, starting September 13.
