Jamshedpur, April 9: Jamshedpur FC snatched a dramatic late draw against table-toppers Mumbai City FC at the Furnace, with substitute Sarthak Golui scoring in the 90th minute to rescue a crucial point in a high-octane Indian Super League at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Thursday.
The Men of Steel will feel they could have taken all three points, having created the better opportunities across both halves however, a combination of fine goalkeeping, last-ditch defending, and sheer misfortune meant they had to settle for a draw.
The result keeps the title race finely poised, with Mumbai City FC leading the table with 18 points, while Jamshedpur FC move to 15 points, firmly in contention.
Jamshedpur started brightly, asserting control early and carving out openings through their attacking trio. Messi Bouli came close on multiple occasions, including a point-blank effort that was brilliantly saved, while Mohammed Sanan saw a rebound cleared off the line after a strong initial header was parried.
The hosts continued to pile on pressure, with Nikola Stojanović and Stephen Eze also going close as Mumbai struggled to contain the attacking waves.
Despite Jamshedpur’s dominance, it was Mumbai City who struck first, against the run of play. A shot took a cruel deflection off Eze in first-half stoppage time, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and giving the visitors the lead with their first shot on target.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Jamshedpur pushing relentlessly for the equaliser. Messi Bouli had the ball in the net early in the half, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside, while Nikola’s powerful strike from distance narrowly missed the target. Eze, too, came close after breaking free from his marker, but his effort found the side netting.
Head coach Owen Coyle turned to his bench in search of a breakthrough, and the changes injected fresh energy into the side. Vincy Barretto and Rosenberg Gabriel added urgency in the final third, with the former seeing a point-blank effort heroically blocked on the line as the pressure reached its peak.
As the clock ticked down, it seemed like Mumbai City would hold on for all three points, but Jamshedpur’s persistence finally paid off. In the 90th minute, from a corner, Sarthak Golui rose above the defence to head home the equaliser, sending the Furnace into raptures and capping off another remarkable comeback.
There was still time for late drama, as Vincy won a foul in a dangerous position deep into stoppage time, with Jamshedpur players appealing for a penalty after the freekick.. However, the referee blew for full-time, bringing an end to a pulsating contest.
Jamshedpur FC will now face Kerala Blasters FC in the away encounter to be played on April 18 th in Kochi.
