ISL 2019/20: Jamshedpur FC 2-1 Odisha FC | Hits and Flops
Jamshedpur FC kickstarted their ISL 2019/20 campaign with an exciting 2-1 victory over Odisha FC.
Rana Gharami's own goal in the 16th minute put the hosts in front early in the contest but they were soon dealt a blow as they were reduced to ten players after Bikash Jairu was shown a red card in the 35th minute.
Odisha FC made use of this advantage and found the equalizer through Aridane Santana in the 40th minute, with the striker scoring his side's first goal of the season. However, Antonio Iriondo's side took back the lead when Sergio Castel scored a goal in the 85th minute, which also proved to be the decisive goal in the competition.
The contest often lacked enthusiasm in the first half as both sides started rather slowly, until Jamshedpur FC exposed the lapses in the visitors' defensive unit through counter-attacks in the second half. Odisha's lack of creativity in midfield cost them the game as Josep Gombau's side rarely managed to break the backline under Tiri, and when they did on a few occasions, Subrata Paul was at the top of his game to ensure that nothing went past him.
Post a thrilling win for Jamshedpur FC, here are three players who impressed and two players who did not meet expectations.
Hit - Jerry Mawhmingthanga
Jerry Mawhmingthanga was Odisha's best player on the field against Jamshedpur. The winger was an active presence throughout the whole game, and he did manage to keep the opposition defenders on their toes all through the encounter.
The 22-year old's solo run from a clearance induced a harsh tackle from Bikash Jairu, with the latter shown a red card. Jerry was lively on the right-wing as he sent in a dangerous cross that led to the goal in the 40th minute, while he also tested Subrata Paul with a curling shot in the 75th minute.
Flop - Nandakumar Sekar
While Jerry was a huge success on the right-wing, Nandakumar Sekar was a disappointment on the left. Most of Odisha's attacks in the early minutes were targetted at this 23-year old midfielder.
However, Sekar struggled to control the long balls that came his way and failed to make a good first impression this season. His poor first touches and sluggish dribbles helped the Jamshedpur defenders maintain dominance in the competition.