NorthEast United FC started on a strong note scoring the opening goal in the 5th minute of the game. Andrew Keogh made room for himself inside the Jamshedpur FC box, but the striker’s tame shot was blocked off by Rafique Ali. Federico Gallego, however, slotted home from the rebound. David Grande had a sight at goal ten minutes later, but the Spaniard rushed his shot and sent it over. As the half progressed, both teams looked reasonably settled as chances of note became few and far between. Jamshedpur FC, however, found an equaliser in the dying minutes of the half. Amarjit Singh whopped in a delightful ball and David Grande made no mistake with his header to make it 1-1 heading into the break.
Ten minutes after the restart, Keogh had a big chance to restore the Highlanders’ lead. The striker found himself free on goal, with Rafique way off his line. The Irishman tried to chip it over him but missed his mark by inches. Redeem Tlang tested Rafique with a low shot from distance in the 67th minute but he was up to the task and got down quickly to make the save.
The home team looked more likely to score as the match progressed, while Jamshedpur FC created very little worry for Subhasish Roy in the opposition goal. The trend reflected on the scoreboard in the 77th minute as Martin Chaves used his burst of pace and floated in a cross inside the Jamshedpur FC box. Youngster, Sandip Mandi managed to clear the initial danger but his header didn’t have enough power on it to clear the danger zone. The ball fell to Redeem, who turned the ball in with an acrobatic effort to make it 2-1.
Jamshedpur FC, however, had a golden opportunity to hit right back as they were awarded a penalty seconds later. Noe Acosta stepped up to take the spot kick but Subhasish Roy guessed right and made the save. From the following corner, Acosta came close to scoring yet again, but his shot was cleared off the line in the last second. In the 82nd minute, though, the Spaniard redeemed himself as he beat Subhasish from outside the box with a stunning strike to level the score.
The equaliser inspired a sustained period of Jamshedpur FC pressure and it paid off in the 85th minute. Memo Moura rifled in a free kick from just outside the box to make it 3-2 heading into the final five minutes of the game. The story, however, was far from over.
In the 87th minute, Farukh Choudhary received a second yellow card and was sent off. NorthEast United FC capitalised on the opportunity as Jose Leudo fired in to bring the Highlanders right back in. The tide shifted yet again as the Highlanders went on the offensive. Despite a few chances, neither team could find a winner as the match ended 3-3.
