Jamshedpur FC 0-0 Bengaluru FC: 5 Hits and Flops | ISL 2019/20

Bengaluru FC were held by Jamshedpur FC at 0-0, thanks to a monumental performance from Subrata Paul. The reigning Champions had several chances to secure the go-ahead goal throughout the game, but the failure to produce the final touch cost them as they accumulated their third point of the season in three games. On the other hand, the hosts are leading the pack in the opening stages of the season as they remain undefeated for the third game in succession.

From minute one, the visitors were on the front foot and pressed high to secure the lead. They came closest when Juanan's fantastic header was saved by Subrata Paul in the first half. Despite a flurry of attacks, the Jamshedpur custodian remained unfazed and earned their first clean sheet of the season.

On the other hand, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was forced to make a couple of reflex saves, but remained untested for most parts of the game. The hosts will be the happier of the two to walk away with a point as they conceded 21 shots today. Carles Cuadrat, on the other hand, will be disappointed and aspire to break the duck in the upcoming matches.

There were several notable individual performances in this high-voltage encounter. We shall look at five hits and flops from Jamshedpur and Bengaluru.

#1 Hit - Subrata Paul

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Subrata Paul produced a resolute performance to keep the scoreline intact and gain his first clean sheet of the season. The Indian International made nine saves and stood up to the task to negate the opponent's say in the final third.

En route to clinching the Hero of the Match award was a flurry of saves in the first half. The shot-stopper's acrobatic effort kept out Juanan's effort in the 18th minute was particularly noteworthy. Additionally, he prevailed when the team was caught one-v-one against Ashique Kuruniyan and Manuel Onwu.

In the closing stages of the game, Kean Lewis was also stopped by the keeper. Beyond the saves, Subrata's handling of the ball was second to none. Bengaluru players including Raphael Augusto and Sunil Chhetri took shots from outside the box to test him, but his handling made sure that the opponents didn't get any sniff at goal.

#2 Flop - Manuel Onwu

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Manuel Onwu had the gigantic shoes of Miku to fill at Bengaluru FC. But, the Spaniard has been a disappointment so far because of a lack of confidence in front of the goal and poor overall displays.

Dimas Delgado produced an extraordinary delivery to pick out the 31-year-old striker, but he failed to covert a one-v-one against Subrata Pal. For rest of the game, Onwu didn't look threatening and looked far from convincing as he struggled to use his physique and his pace failed to torment Jamshedpur defenders.

Tiri, Gurung and Rahman were the victors in their battle against Manuel Onwu. It has been a tough start to his Bengaluru FC career with just an assist in three games. Goals have been hard to come by for the Blues and Onwu will be hoping to break his duck to elevate his team.

#3 Hit - Raphael Augusto

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Raphael Augusto produced his best performance for Bengaluru FC against the Mariners. The Brazilian was unplayable until picking up an injury minutes before the half-time whistle.

The visitors were reliant on the brilliance of the former Chennaiyin FC midfielder during the opening moments of the game. He won numerous duels and carried the ball from the defensive to offensive department in transition. His shot from outside the box was easily parried away by Subrata Paul in the first half.

Augusto had a good second half and restored possession on numerous occasions. As the game progressed, the Brazilian showed signs of slowing down and eventually got substituted at the 80-minute mark.

Dimas Delgado does the dirty work by sitting back, while Augusto has the freedom to roam around and bomb up and down the pitch. Thanks to his excellent reading of the game, he can score goals and thread passes for the forwards Sunil Chhetri, Manuel Onwu, and Udanta Singh as the season progresses.

#4 Flop - Farukh Choudhary

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Jamshedpur struggled to retain possession throughout the game and didn't have any luck on counter-attacks. Farukh Choudhary's first-half overhead kick was easily saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Apart from this moment, the striker didn't cause Bengaluru FC's defence any trouble and put up a flat performance.

The hosts had frequent opportunities to run through the left flank, but Farukh failed to take full advantage of it. Instead, he failed to bring several deliveries under his control and lost possession on a regular basis.

The Indian International has started the season on a high with one goal and one assist in three games this season, but he didn't look at his best against the reigning champions. The forward would hope to perform better in the forthcoming games as he was nullified by the left-back on the day, Ashique Kuruniyan.

Antonio Iriondo should utilize Farukh Choudhary's skillset to the fullest. But, it's the player who needs to produce the goods.

#5 Hit - Piti

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Piti was Jamshedpur's best player against Bengaluru. The Spanish International showcased his nimble feet by running past the Bengaluru midfield consisting of Raphael Augusto and Dimas Delgado a number of times.

The hosts' midfielders struggled to penetrate through the opponents and the whole squad looked to Piti for a solution. The 38-year-old stepped up the plate and took shots from outside the box to test Gurpreet Singh. Jamshedpur took a total of eleven shots on target, out of which a majority came from Piti.

It was not a sparkling display from the whole team, but Piti was always sharp - causing trouble to the opposition. He was feeding deliveries for Aniket Jadhav, who couldn't take advantage of many situations to make their efforts in the final third count.

Moving further ahead in the season, Piti will be an integral source of creativity for Jamshedpur. He is a threat from open play and set pieces.