ISL 2017, Match 13: Jamshedpur FC vs ATK, 5 Talking Points

Jamshedpur FC and ATK played out a drab 0-0 draw in Friday's ISL 2017 match-up as neither side had enough in their arsenal to threaten the goal.

Clear-cut opportunities were few and far between and when some chances did arrive, players from both sides botched them up in a major way.

Here are the major talking points from tonight's encounter!

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#1 Absolutely horrible pitch in Jamshedpur

With the team playing their first-ever game at home, the crowd came in full support for Jamshedpur FC. 23,891 to be precise. However, both sides had to play football on an absolutely horrible pitch.

Large parts of the ground were uneven and the grass gave way too easily. A simple sliding tackle led to the soil popping up from the ground. As a result, several players lost their footing and both sides were forced to play a lot of aerial balls.

The wide areas of the pitch were extremely loose and the players found it challenging to control the ball on the wings. In fact, they could barely run with the ball without bumping into an uneven layer of soil. In the end, one could spot large chunks of soil patches protruding out from the ground. Jamshedpur's management would be wise to spruce up their ground before the next game or fear facing the wrath of their own players.

#2 Jerry Mawihmingthanga breathes life into the game

Jerry was a livewire on the pitch (Image: ISL)

Last season, when Jerry was on loan at NorthEast United FC, he made just one appearance all season. He's already played two games for Jamshedpur and was a joy to watch tonight. The midfielder who usually operates centrally, played as a wide man against ATK and was extremely lively all night long.

Positioned on the right wing, he was never fazed and consistently ran with intent and speed. He was heavily involved whenever Jamshedpur ventured forward. The only thing missing were his shooting boots as the diminutive midfielder had a couple of glorious opportunities to put his team ahead.

Jerry was quick, unpredictable, worked incredibly hard and gave ATK's left back Keegan Pereira a host of problems tonight.

#3 Eugeneson Lyngdoh's struggles continue

Eugeneson had a game to forget (Image: ISL)

Before the season began, Eugeneson Lyngdoh made headlines for all the right reasons. He was one of the first to be picked in the ISL draft. Fast forward to now and ATK's midfield lynchpin is having a tough time to get going.

He started the match tonight but was rarely involved in his team's build-up play. He was unlike his usual self -- there were no inch-perfect long balls from him and no dangerous crosses from set pieces. In fact, whenever ATK attacked, it was never through him.

With Lyngdoh not in his element, the visitors had an arduous time in building up their play. To add to his woes, he limped off the pitch just before half-time due to a muscle pull.

#4 Poor quality crosses from ATK throughout the match

Robin Singh (black) was left frustrated on many occasions (Image: ISL)

At one point, Robin Singh had enough of it. Time and again he positioned himself inside the opposition box, but time and again, the resulting crosses went miles into orbit and all his running went in vain.

The visitors did extremely well to play their way into the wide areas. However, when they did get there, they were wasteful, to say the least. Zequinha, Keegan and Bipin Singh all took turns to try their hand at crossing the ball into dangerous areas.

However, all three of them were dismal as a helpless Robin Singh could only look towards the skies, hoping for some divine intervention. ATK could and should have made much better use of those opportunities to truly test Jamshedpur's defence.

#5 Prabir Das is a warrior at right back

Prabir Das was solid for ATK down the right (Image: ISL)

Amidst all the poor displays on show tonight, ATK's right back Prabir Das was a joy to watch. He was defensively solid and always made himself available in the opposition half as well.

More importantly, Das had his positioning on point. He knew exactly went to venture forward and went to stay back and defend. Now 23 years old, Prabir played the game like an experienced campaigner. He was miserly and rarely conceded possession on the right wing. He combined well with his colleagues and his tackling technique was impressive.

Every time Jamshedpur had the opportunity to counter, they stayed away from his wing and instead chose to target ATK's left side, which certainly speaks volumes about the respect he commanded tonight.