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Jamshedpur FC suffered a 0-1 loss to Kerala Blasters in their first leg of the semifinals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
The Men of Steel took the game underway as the two squads looked focused to get started with the first leg of the semifinals. The first few minutes of the match were controlled by Kerala Blasters but Jamshedpur FC quickly took over the ball possession and unleashed a bunch of attacks to get an early lead into their first playoff fixture. Daniel Chima nearly found the back of the net with two chances from inside the box but he did not find his footing as both his shots hit the outer side netting.
The Men of Steel kept their push for a goal on and came very close to breaking the deadlock through a tactical freekick set-piece. Greg Stewart with a freekick from 30 yards away looked into the box filled with Jamshedpur FC players but played it smart and laid it to Mobashir in the wing who had taken his run towards the box. The Kerala Blasters defensive line-up were tricked as they did not predict that play from the Men of Steel as Mobashir took a touch into the box and pulled the trigger instead of crossing it into the middle of the box but could not hit the target and the ball went off for an outside. Kerala Blasters after some unsuccessful attempts to make complete plays, finally settled well on the pitch and got themselves the goal they were working hard for as the young Indian prodigy, Abdul Sahal Samad, made his name back into the score sheet. Jamshedpur FC defender, Ricky Lallawmawma tried to eliminate the danger with a headed attempt, but instead headed it in the wrong direction towards the goal. Sahal Samad and TP Rehenesh rushed towards the ball as TP Rehenesh looked to kick the ball away to safety but Sahal got the touch on the ball and chipped it over the goalkeeper’s head into the net’s back which gave them the desired lead. The first period of the game came to an end with the Men of Steel being in a goal’s disadvantage at the break.
The second half kicked-off with both sides going back and forth with the aim to get themselves on the scoresheet but were not clinical enough to slot a goal and extend their lead or get back into the game. Adrian Luna almost doubled their lead with a stunning freekick from the left wing as he took a strong shot on the far post top corner which almost ended into the back of the net. But TP Rehenesh was quick on his feet and was instinctive enough to get his fingertips on the ball which dipped into the top corner but instead hit the woodwork and deflected away from the goal which was later cleared to safety by the Jamshedpur FC defenders.
As the final 20 minutes of the game approached, the Men of Steel kept their hunt on to get the equalising goal to get back into the game and end the game in a stalemate and close the first semifinals leg with a draw but the Tuskers’ defence was compact enough to cut down and clear away every chance that the Jamshedpur attacking side built up towards their box. The game’s intensity grew as both sides landed rough tackles and attempts on the opposition as the official displayed yellow cards and warned the players on multiple occasions.
The referee blew the full-time whistle as the League Shield winners, Jamshedpur FC, were unsuccessful to slot in the desired equalising goal and suffered their first defeat in a long time. The first leg of the semifinals between the two didn’t end in Jamshedpur FC’s favour. Now The Men of Steel will need to score a minimum of 2 goals and hold back the Tuskers from scoring in the next leg to win on aggregate and make their way into the finals.
