ISL 2022-23 | Mumbai City FC 1-1 Jamshedpur FC: Red Miners fight back to hold the Islanders to a stalemate
Last season's Shield winners Jamshedpur FC (JFC) played out a hard-fought 1-1 tie against heavyweights Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on Saturday, October 22. Lallianzuala Chhangte's eighth-minute goal was negated by Daniel Chima Chukwu four minutes later as the two English gaffers settled for a draw.
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Coming into the game, Des Buckingham's side were undefeated in the league. They had kicked off their 2022-23 campaign with a thrilling 3-3 draw against defending champions Hyderabad FC, before registering a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Odisha FC.
Meanwhile, the Red Miners suffered a heartbreaking 2-3 loss at the hands of the Juggernauts in their opening fixture, where they conceded two late goals. Hence, Aidy Boothroyd and JFC were eager to return to winning ways.
Right from the initial exchanges, Mumbai dominated possession and were immediately rewarded for their intensity. Ahmed Jahouh produced a moment of magic in the middle of the field as he whizzed past his marker and played Greg Stewart through down the right flank. The Scotsman drilled in a low cross and Lallianzuala Chhangte slid in and turned the ball.
The Islanders took the lead in the eighth minute itself and it seemed like it would be a long night for JFC. But the Men of Steel had hearts of steel and they responded immediately. Wellington Priori unleashed a long throw-in and Harry Sawyer nodded it towards the back post. Daniel Chima Chukwu was the quickest to react and he thumped it home to restore parity.
Even with the scores level, Mumbai continued to control the proceedings and the Shield winners were more than happy to maintain their defensive shape and soak in all those attacks.
In the 31st minute, JFC caught the Islanders on the break as Daniel Chukwu set up Bipin Singh, but the latter failed to bring the ball under control and Mehtab Singh stepped in with a crucial challenge.
The two teams went into the half-time break level on terms but with two extremely different approaches to the game.
Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC exchange sparring blows throughout the second half
After the teams came out following the break, not much changed. Mumbai were still enjoying the lion's share of possession while JFC were disciplined in their conservative approach.
In the 48th minute, the Islanders carved open the Jamshedpur defense but Lallianzuala Chhangte was brought down inside the opposition box. Although he kept largely quiet, the other Mumbai players appealed for a penalty. The referee waved away the shouts.
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Des Buckingham brought on ample changes in the second half, including the likes of Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Vikram Singh, and Gurkirat Singh to produce the final product that they lacked after the initial minutes. However, nothing worked.
Meanwhile, at the other end, the Red Miners created some half-chances of their own, but after 90 odd minutes the game ended in a stalemate. Although Mumbai kept their unbeaten record intact, they went home ruing their missed chances. Jamshedpur, on the other hand, are still waiting for their first victory of the season.