Jamshedpur FC’s good run of form was thwarted in the practice game by Kingfisher East Bengal as they beat Steve Coppell’s men. The match was indeed eventful as four goals were scored. However, East Bengal found the back of the net thrice.
Izu Azuka scored the only goal for Jamshedpur FC as he scored from the penalty spot. The game was played at a fast pace tempo as both the teams were battling for possession, but the visiting team had the last laugh at the end.
Jamshedpur FC put up a strong fight, as they dominated possession for most periods. Mahmoud Al Amnah buried the first one in the back of the net as he was played a through ball by Brandon Vanlalremdika against the run of play.
Few minutes later, Trindade Goncalves’ shot hit an East Bengal’s player’s hand inside the penalty box and the hosts were awarded a penalty. Izu Azuka did not miss from the spot and equalised to take the score at 1-1 into the half time break.
But early in the second half, Jamshedpur FC’s mix up in their defensive half cost them as Yumnam Raju Mangang scored an own goal while trying to clear the ball away from Plaza.
Gurwinder Singh saw a red card after placing a boot on Farukh Choudhary’s chest. It was a horrific tackle from East Bengal’s central defender as it could have been fatal. But thankfully, the Jamshedpur FC forward got back on his feet after receiving initial treatment.
Jamshedpur FC kept pushing to find the equaliser throughout the second half with Farukh Choudhary, Izu Azuka and Kervens Belfort, all coming close. But Coppell’s men just couldn’t find the back of the net.
As Jamshedpur committed all men forward in search of that equaliser, Surabuddin Mullick scored the third goal for East Bengal in the dying minutes of the game and pulled the game away from the home side.
At full time, it ended 3-1 in favour of East Bengal.
Jamshedpur Starting XI: Sanjiban Ghosh (GK); Souvik Chakrabarti, Andre Bikey, Tiri, Robin Gurung; Jerry, Memo, Mehtab Hossain, Siddharth Singh; Trindade, Izu Azuka
East Bengal Starting XI: Mirshad (GK); Mehtab Singh, Gurwinder Sing, Eduardo, Deepak Singh; Danmoia, Katsumi, Al Amna, Bazou, Brandon V.; Plaza
