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What a historical night for the Men of Steel, one that the city of Jamshedpur, the fans, the team would cherish for a long time as March 7, 2022 will be marked as the day Jamshedpur FC lifted the ISL League Shield.
The Jamshedpur side were all set to face ATK Mohun Bagan in their final league stage match to fight it out and rise as the league leaders of the 2021-22 season of the ISL. The game was taken underway by the Mariners as they kept the ball on their side for the majority of the first 20 minutes with the aim of being the first side to break the deadlock and take themselves into advantage but the Men of Steel were tight at the back to push the danger away.
ATK Mohun Bagan’s attacking troops kept Jamshedpur FC under a lot of pressure with a bunch of attacks and attempts at goal to take the lead in the first period and close the gap to win the League Shield with a couple of long-range shots as well as freekick set-pieces right outside the box but they were not clinical enough to land it into the back of the net. The Men of Steel were inches away from taking the lead as the in-form striker, Daniel Chima, attempted a strong header which was aimed right for the top corner but the confident man between the sticks, Amrinder Singh, comfortably parried the ball away to safety and denied the Jamshedpur side the lead. Jamshedpur kept a strong approach against a dangerous attack minded Mariners’ side and won some duels which led to some quick counter-attacks towards the ATK Mohun Bagan box but were unsuccessful to take any shots on target.
The game grew intense by the minute as both squads committed a couple of harsh fouls on the other oppositions as warnings and yellow cards were shown on multiple occasions by the official. The first period of the game came to an end with both teams at stalemate and no goals being seen on either ends of the pitch.
The second half kicked-off with high energy as Jamshedpur FC took the game underway with even more focus as they looked hungry in their approach and only had win on their minds. Just as the game picked up pace and intensity, the Men of Steel grabbed the perfect opportunity and slotted in a perfect open play goal into the back of the net as Ritwik Das came on top to become the hero Jamshedpur FC needed. Greg Stewart does an excellent job as he dragged the defenders behind him. To beat his marker outside the box, he rushed to the left and then cut to the right. He attempted a shot, but it was deflected by an ATK Mohun Bagan defender and fell to Ritwik Das just inside the box. The young lad did not make any mistakes and blasted it towards the bottom corner which the goalkeeper could not get a hand on as the ball landed in the goal and took Jamshedpur into a massive advantage. The Jamshedpur made it even more difficult for the Mariners to win the shield as they now had to have a difference of three goals. Both sides made some crucial changes to their squad as they brought in some fresh legs into the game to make a change to the scoreline. The Mariners kept their hunt to get back in the game as well as score more goals to increase their chances of winning the shield but Eli Sabia and Peter Hartley with their towering presence, cut down every chance and opportunity that the ATK Mohun Bagan attacking front came through with. The Indian winger Liston Calcao combined with the foreign threats, David Williams and Roy Krishna in the middle were on the attack constantly but were not clinical enough to find the back of the net while at the same time, TP Rehenesh was a strong element on the goalline as he did not let any ball slip past him.
As the final minutes of the game approached, the Men of Steel took control of the game and tried to maintain majority of the ball possession to keep the attacking side at bay and not let them get past the defence to make things difficult for the Men of Steel. With seven minutes of extra time awarded, the teams got even more eager to get the best over the other.
The Men of Steel celebrated with their heart and soul as they etched their names in the history books and added silverware to the Jamshedpur FC’s cabinet, earning themselves the ISL League Shield 2021-22. The Jamshedpur side made a mark as they were the first team to register 7 wins in a row and also the team to break down the 15 game unbeaten run of ATK Mohun Bagan. Jamshedpur FC are now the league leaders, they have clinched the League Winner’s Shield to end their league stage campaign on a positively high note and will now set their eyes on the prestigious ISL trophy with the semi-finals to be played next.
