ISL 2018: FC Pune City 2-1 Jamshedpur FC - 5 Talking Points as Stallions pick up first win
As the second International break came to an end, ISL action resumed on the pitch as FC Pune City played host to Jamshedpur FC at the Chhatrapati Sports Complex in hopes of climbing up from the bottom half of the table.
Pune City, who were struggling to find form in this season of the ISL, were coming on the back of a 1-0 loss on their last visit to ATK on November 9. Also missing for Pune was the presence of their prolific striker Emiliano Alfaro, who joined ATK on a loan deal to replace the injured Kalu Uche. The good news for Pune going into this match was the availability of Diego Carlos, who was returning to the squad after serving a 3-match ban.
Pune were looking forward to welcoming back Iain Hume to the squad after Alfaro's departure. The Canadian, out of action because of a knee injury, was signed as the eighth foreigner for Pune. He was able to join the squad only after Alfaro was loaned out as a team can register only seven foreigners.
On the other hand, Jamshedpur FC were looking to better their position on the table, especially after their 2-2 draw at the capital. Having played their last match on the 4th of November, the men of steel had a lot of time off before taking the field. Jamshedpur came to Pune in the absence of their marquee signing Tim Cahill, who was due to join the team after his farewell match for the Socceroos.
Also absent for Jamshedpur was Spanish midfielder Sergio Cidoncha, who was not available for selection.
Both sides looked to put forward their best possible combination on the field and were hopeful of getting a positive result at the end of the game.
Pune scored first, quickly followed by JFC’s equaliser. The game saw no goals in between until the 86th Minute when Matt Mills got his head on the ball to score the winner.
Here are the 5 Talking Points from the Game -
#5 No Soosairaj in the starting line-up
If JFC had to line up three best players for them this season, Micheal Soosairaj would definitely make it to the list. The ex-Chennai City man has been in scintillating form this season, both in creating and scoring goals.
In the absence of someone like Cahill, one would have imagined JFC to start with Farukh Choudhary and Soosai upfront with Mario Arques and Carlos Calvo in the supporting midfield. But Caser Ferrando went with Jerry and Sumeet Passi.
Throughout the match, JFC had created a fair amount of chances and looked to have a slight edge in their passing and attacking over Pune City FC. The presence of a certain Soosairaj would have definitely given them a greater edge over the Pune side.
Soosairaj, who warmed the bench for the first 68 minutes of the game came on for Pablo Morgado, and could not make an impact on the game.