ISL 2020-21: Nerijus Valskis breathes life into a static Jamshedpur FC campaign with victory over ATK Mohun Bagan
The air inside the Tilak Maidan in Vasco was filled with the anticipation of a fourth straight victory for ATK Mohun Bagan and yet another defeat for Jamshedpur FC. The latter had been on a nine-game winless streak which was a cause of worry for Owen Coyle.
But, Nerijus Valskis powered Jamshedpur FC to an unexpected 2-1 victory, offering his team the much-needed energy after a dour start to the ISL 2020-21 season.
The return of TP Rehenesh bolstered a seemingly fragile Jamshedpur FC. But an even more positive sign came in the form of a sharp eighth-minute header by Peter Hartley. It cut off a promising long ball from Subasish Bose, with Roy Krishna lurking dangerously behind and ready to strike.
The skipper has been guilty of not pulling his weight in this edition of the ISL. But the header to hold off Bose was right on the money.
Hartley also had his foot in the first real chance of the game, thirteen minutes into the engaging duel. He found William Lalnunfela with an ambitious pass. It took time to reach Mohammad Mobashir, helping Arindam Bhattacharya make an effortless save. On the counter-attack, Stephen Eze kept Jamshedpur FC from any damage when he deflected an attack with his head.
Attack has been the strength of Jamshedpur FC this season and they continued to probe ATK Mohun Bagan with a couple of deep runs, extracting corners that went in vain. But in the 30th minute, Nerijus Valskis pulled off a Dominic Calvert-Lewin impression. He leaped to a curling ball from Aitor Monroy, finding the net with a power-packed nod. Valskis nearly made it two in two minutes, but this time Arindam was at hand to palm the ball safely away.
The medical staff rushed to the floor when William found himself at the receiving end of an unintentional elbow as Tiri and Sandesh Jhingan pounced on the ball. Fortunately, he was back in action soon after, with a bandage. As the teams trooped off at half-time, it was the boys from Jamshedpur FC with all the keys to this contest. ATK Mohun Bagan conceded their first goal in four matches and were staring at their first loss of the season.
ATKMB marched out with a renewed purpose in the second half. They created a meaty opportunity five minutes in, as a low cross from Prabir Das was met with a solid strike by Krishna. But Rehenesh jumped to it in a flash, stretching his hand out to prevent any damage for Jamshedpur FC.
The Red Miners weren't going to take this sudden burst of aggression lying down. It was Valskis again that threatened the goal, forcing Arindam to concede yet another corner.
This time, Monroy took full advantage of the set-piece, piercing into the six-yard area. The Lithuanian was surprisingly unmarked and it offered him an irresistible invitation to score his fifth goal of the season, and the second of the game. Jamshedpur FC were truly in command by then.
As Sahil Sheikh came on for Carl McHugh, there was a sense of urgency in the camp from Kolkata. Even though replays suggested that Manvir Singh flicked a pass while Krishna was seemingly offside, the flag stayed down. And Krishna made the most of the opportunity to claw one back for the Mariners.
With the game inching to the final whistle, Manvir found some extra space on the left, before he flew one across to Prabir. The latter sent the ball nearly into the goal with a fine header, only for Hartley to make one of the finest saves of the evening. As the game went into added time, Manvir kept pushing for that elusive second goal, only in vain.
In the end, Jamshedpur FC did well to hold on to their advantage and force their way to a well-earned victory. Antonio Habas can take heart, especially from the second half effort of his Mariners, when they played with more intensity.
There were a total of 15 shots on target - nine for Jamshedpur FC and six for ATK Mohun Bagan.
Owen Coyle can rest easy for a bit, with his team shaping up nicely since that first game loss to Chennaiyin FC.