Late Chukwu goal allows Jamshedpur FC to hold Chennaiyin FC to a draw | Indian Super League 2023-24
Daniel Chima Chukwu struck a late goal, right on the dot of the 90th minute, to allow Jamshedpur FC to rally back and draw 2-2 against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League at the JRD Tata Complex in Jamshedpur on Thursday, December 7.
Chukwu met a Nikhil Barla cross with his head and managed to find the back of the net at the bottom left corner quite comfortably to dash the hopes of the Marina Machans, who were looking to pick up a vital away victory.
Earlier, Rafael Crivellaro had provided the assist for Farukh Chowdhary's close header in the ninth minute to give Chennaiyin the lead. The Machans were helped by Ninthoinganba Meetei's strike in the 40th minute from a Jordan Murray assist to double their lead.
The Red Miners, however, fought back to reduce their deficit in half in stoppage time of the first half thanks to a strike from right-back Laldinpuia Pachau. Chennaiyin brought their target man Connor Shields into the pitch in the second half, but he could barely meet the challenge posed to him by the Jamshedpur defense.
Jamshedpur's substitutes gave them a point in this game
It was the Jamshedpur substitutes Barla and Chukwu who combined to give their team a point where they had been staring at a certain defeat. The hosts dominated the game, kept possession for 58 percent of the time, and took significantly more shots than their opponents did.
The Red Miners had 14 shots in total as compared to the Machan's eight, but it was only the two that found the back of the net that counted. Chennaiyin, trying to boost their city's morale which is struggling to survive against Cyclone Michaung, will go home with just one point.
Chennaiyin go over East Bengal to the seventh position of the ISL table with nine points whereas Jamshedpur remain in the 10th spot with six points inside their kitty. They visit the Kanteerava Stadium on December 16 to take on Bengaluru FC in their next game while Chennaiyin host the Blues at the Marina Arena three days before that.