ISL 2018-19: 3 reasons why Jamshedpur FC beat Mumbai City FC

The fourth matchday of the latest Indian Super League season saw two of last year's underperformers go head-to-head. Both Jamshedpur and Mumbai had finished fifth and seventh on the table, respectively, failing to qualify for the knockout stages.

However, both the teams put their lacklustre seasons behind them by engaging actively in the transfer market.

The biggest changes in both the dugouts were managerial in nature. Mumbai parted ways earlier this year with coach Alexandre Guimaraes. The Costa Rican enjoyed two extreme seasons at Mumbai - finishing at the top of the table in his first and seventh in his second. It was the team's performances during the latter, that made the Mumbai hierarchy usher in some changes.

Jorge Costa, a former Jose Mourinho disciple, was handpicked to lead the Islanders during the 2018/19 season. Costa's appointment, in turn, saw some of his ex-players link up with him in Mumbai, such as Rafael Bastos and Modou Sougou.

Over in Jamshedpur, a series of events saw Steve Coppell leave for ATK and Cesar Ferrando take the helm. Moreover, the Men of Steel looked to address a major problem during their last campaign - goals!

Keeping this in mind, Jamshedpur quickly moved to bring on board ISL 2018/19's biggest 'big-name' signing - Tim Cahill. The legendary Australian forward signed for the TATA-owned club after being released by Millwall. The former Everton man would not, however, make his much-awaited debut.

As a result, we saw two somewhat new teams take to the pitch in the Mumbai Football Arena, home of the Islanders. Both Mumbai and Jamshedpur had one goal in mind before kick-off, to reach that coveted playoff spot and potentially even further.

Moving on to the match itself, the two teams played out a very interesting, high-intensity match. There was a constant flurry of attacks at both ends, one of which saw Jamshedpur take the lead in the first half.

It was midfielder Mario Arques, who gave the Men of Steel the lead in the 28th minute, burying a back post header which would have made Cahill proud.

Mumbai then proceeded to attack Jamshedpur for the rest of the match, with a few counters in between. The Islanders were perhaps unlucky on the day, having found the net twice only to see both the efforts ruled out. Finally, in stoppage time of the second half, Pablo Morgado scored Jamshedpur's second to seal their first win of the season.

And therefore, we take a look at three reasons which turned the match in Jamshedpur's favour.

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#3 Jamshedpur's Spanish contingent flourishes

Mario Arques celebrates after giving Jamshedpur the lead (Credit: ISL)

The Indian Super League has moved away from the tactic of recruiting big-name players, with only Tim Cahill being the exception. The clubs have since employed a new strategy of picking out potential gems who will shine in the Indian environment.

Spanish imports, in that sense, have proven to be the real stars of the league. From Luis Garcia and Borja Fernandes to Ferran Corominas and Manu Lanzarote, the ISL has seen some brilliant Spanish stars.

Keeping with the theme, it was two Spaniards who sealed Jamshedpur's win on matchday four of the league.

Mario Arques started the match for the Men of Steel in midfield and found himself on the scoresheet shortly before the half-hour mark. Arques headed the ball across the goalkeeper and into the net to provide Jamshedpur with an early lift.

His compatriot, Pablo Morgado then put the finishing touches in second half stoppage time, launching a counter against a stretched Mumbai defence and finishing clinically; to give Jamshedpur the win.

#2 Unlucky Islanders

Goian and Klisura vying for the ball against a horde of Jamshedpur FC players (Credit: ISL)

Despite their defeat, not all of the blame can be assigned to Mumbai City FC. Although the Islanders made some costly errors which proved to be pivotal in the proceedings, they could have easily equalised.

Statistically speaking, both the teams played out an even match. While Jamshedpur edged Mumbai in terms of possession, Mumbai had the upper hand in terms of shots taken.

In truth, the Islanders didn't back down after going behind. In fact, they launched a flurry of attacks at Jamshedpur, only to see their efforts rebuffed. Moreover, Mumbai City had two goals ruled out for offside; one from Mohammed Rafique while the other through Modou Sougou. Needless to say, on both occasions, the Mumbai Football Arena witnessed Jorge Costa's fury.

The new manager did everything he could from his part, even sacrificing a centre back for an extra attacker. It was not to be his day, however, as that particular move played a key role in Jamshedpur's second goal.

There are days like these in football; when nothing goes right. Unfortunately for Mumbai City FC, today was one of those days.

#3 Addressing the major issues

Pablo Morgado, who was brought in this summer, scored the second goal for Jamshedpur (Credit: ISL)

If one were to look at ISL 2017/18 league table, one would think that Jamshedpur enjoyed a decent debut season. After all, the Men of Steel did finish fifth, one below the last qualifying spot.

However, there was a big issue to be addressed ahead of the new summer over in Jamshedpur - goals.

The TATA-owned side scored just 16 goals in 18 matches during the entire 2017/18 campaign, which happened to be the joint-second worst record in the league. The Men of Steel scored their first goal only after 331 minutes of football, and also went on to score only two goals in their first seven matches.

As a result, attack was the focus ahead of the season, and it looks like Jamshedpur has managed to successfully address the issue.

Two goals in their first ninety minutes of the season is a good sign of the Men of Steel. What is even more promising, is the fact that both the goals were scored despite star-forward Tim Cahill not being a part of the team.

In the end, Jamshedpur didn't sign players just for the sake of signing them. Instead, they devised a plan to address some key areas. The plan, it seems, is working already.