The furnace in Jamshedpur hosted FC Pune City in their second home game of the season. Jamshedpur so far have looked solid in the ISL while defending but haven’t been impressive while going forward.
With rumours of a dressing room scuffle also doing the rounds, things didn’t look rosy for the 'Men of Steel'. Pune somehow have been very good on the road, they first got the better of last season’s champions ATK 4-1 and have now handed Jamshedpur their first defeat in the ISL 2017.
Pune City defeated Jamshedpur FC 1-0 via an Adil Khan goal. The game to be summed up was a battle of the midfielders, a battle that Pune won easily.
On that note, let's take a look at how the players fared in this game.
Jamshedpur FC
Subrata Pal (6): Subrata finally had his goal breached in the ISL 2017. He had an average game and looked a bit rusty in phases.
Andre Bikey(6): He looked sloppy with his positioning and also created unwanted confusion and nuisance for his teammates while going forward during the set pieces.
Tiri (6.5): The better of the two centre-backs for Jamshedpur, he did a good job keeping the likes of Alfaro and Marcinho quiet.
Shouvik Ghosh (6): Shouvik had an average game as he tried to counter the runs of Issac. He also ventured forward whenever possible but his crosses were not of the desired quality.
Souvik Chakrabarti (6.5): Souvik had another good game in the ISL. He covered his lines well and helped his side start attacks from the back.
Memo (6.5): Memo tried his best to control the midfield and create openings in the Pune defence, but wasn’t effective in doing so.
Mehtab Hossain (6): Mehtab did what he does best. He hassled and harried his opponents. However, He wasn’t as effective in creating chances. His set-piece deliveries were also not up to the mark today.
Trindade Goncalves (6): Trindade too didn’t have a good game like midfield counterparts. He had to do a lot of running, but nothing much creative came out of it.
Bikash Jairu (7): Ran his heart out and also helped out in defence. Jairu also played some good crosses into the box.
Siddharth Singh (6): The young forward did a lot running and tried to cut Pune’s passing channel high up the pitch, but didn't impress with the ball.
Izu Azuka (7): Looked lively upfront, Azuka would have loved some more service from his midfielders, as he had to run deep to get the ball. He also tried to initiate some good move from the deep.
FC Pune City
Vishal Kaith (7.5): Vishal showed why he is rated as one of the best young goalkeepers of the nation. He made some crucial saves in the second half to help his side secure a 1-0 win.
Sarthak Golui (7): Sarthak had a good game at left-back as he seldom gave the Jamshedpur wingers any space to cross and also helped his side in attack.
Rafael Lopez (7.5): Rafael had a solid game as he kept the Jamshedpur strikers at bay for most parts of the game. His anticipation was top notch.
Gurtej Singh (7): Gurtej supported Rafael perfectly, as both formed a formidable partnership to deny the likes of Azuka and Belfort much space.
Lalchhuanmawia Fanai (5.5): Was good while defending but made some unnecessary rash tackles in the middle of the pitch which ultimately led to the Mizo left back being sent off for a second booking.
Adil Khan (8): Adil had a brilliant game, it will probably be a game that will stay fresh in his memories for years to come. He scored the all-important goal and also had a towering presence in the midfield.
Marcos Tebar (8.5): Tebar made some crucial ball-winning tackles. His forward passing was superb and he did a fantastic job in keeping possession and building up play.
Issac (6.5): Issac had a good game on the flanks, as he ran with pace whenever he got the opportunity.
Diego Carlos (6.5): Diego moved forward with pace and agility. He looked dangerous with his runs but a bit more was expected from him with the ball.
Marcinho (6): He really couldn’t do much as he Souvik and Tiri did a good job in keeping the mercurial Brazilian quiet.
Emiliano Alfaro(6.5): Alfaro had a quiet game like Marcinho and couldn’t add to his 4 goals, but he did a good job in keeping the likes of Bikey and Mehtab quiet. He also saw to it that Mehtab didn’t venture forward much whenever Jamshedpur had possession.