Jamshedpur, January 6: Jamshedpur FC Youth booked their place in the zonal round of the Reliance Foundation Youth League after a composed 2–0 victory over Zinc Football Academy, moving to the top of the ROI-2 group with one match still to play.

The win took Jamshedpur FC to nine points from four matches, confirming qualification, while rivals Bidhannagar Municipal Sports Academy dropped crucial points after being held to a 3–3 draw by Football 4 Change earlier in the day.

Rayan C and Gopal Munda were on target for the Young Men of Steel, who controlled large parts of the contest and showed maturity in a high-pressure fixture. Jamshedpur struck early, opening the scoring in the 10th minute through Rayan. A neat combination between Rayan and Lawmsangzuala (Mama) carved open the Zinc defence, and Rayan’s low effort slipped through the goalkeeper’s hands to give JFC the lead.

Jamshedpur continued to dominate possession and create chances in the first half, but were unable to extend their advantage. Gopal and Mama both came close, while Zinc managed to stay in the contest by defending deep and denying space in the final third.

The second half saw Zinc push forward in search of an equaliser, creating a couple of clear chances. However, Jamshedpur goalkeeper Ritabrata Sarkar produced two fine saves to preserve the lead and keep his side firmly in control of the situation.

At the other end, Jamshedpur looked dangerous on the counter but were wasteful at times, with Heeranganba Seram and Mama failing to capitalise on promising opportunities. The breakthrough finally came in injury time as Jamshedpur sealed the result in style. Rayan won possession on the counter and released substitute Alvin, who dribbled past a defender before squaring the ball to an unmarked Gopal Munda, who calmly tapped into an open net to make it 2–0.

With qualification secured and top spot assured for now, Jamshedpur FC will face Football 4 Change in their final group match, aiming to finish the regional qualifiers on a high.