ISL 2020-21: Hyderabad FC vs Jamshedpur FC

Hyderabad FC had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Jamshedpur FC in the 14th match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League Season (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, Goa. Aridane Santana’s solitary goal was cancelled out by a fine strike from Nigerian center-back Stephen Eze in the final quarter of the game.

The match started off on a sloppy note as both teams failed to maintain possession. The passing was so off the radar that Jamshedpur FC managed only 65% successful passes in the first half.

Just out of the blue, Laldinliana Renthlei made a neat pass to Jackichand Singh following which the winger came up with a superb shot to see Laxmikant Kattimani tipping it over the bar. The only other proper chance came when Halicharan Narzary skipped past Dinliana and struck the far post.

Just a few minutes after the first half kicked off, Halicharan Narzary’s skewed shot drew an error from Pawan Kumar as Aridane Santana put Hyderabad FC into the lead with a simple tap-in. Hyderabad FC could have gone 2-0 up but Asish Rai failed to take a shot quickly enough after Liston Colaco came up with a superb counter-attacking run.

At the other end, Jamshedpur FC could have equalized in the 71st minute but the referee Raktim Saha wrongly ruled out an own goal from Laxmikant Kattimani. The lost opportunity didn’t hurt Jamshedpur FC too much as Stephen Eze powered the ball past a helpless Kattimani in the 85th minute after William Lalnunfela failed to control the ball. Hyderabad FC had a couple of promising chances in the final seconds of the game but they failed to make use of them as the match ended with a 1-1 stalemate.

Here are four things we learned from this match:

#1 Scrappy first half from both the sides

Both Hyderabad FC and Jamshedpur FC failed to keep the ball in the first 45 minutes. The tempo of the game was pretty good but there were several mis-passes.

Even amongst such sloppy play, Hyderabad FC shaded the first half as they were impressive on the flanks. Halicharan Narzary, in particular, had a brilliant spell during the last ten minutes of the first half as he almost scored a brilliant goal on his own. After dribbling past the Jamshedpur FC right-back Laldinliana Renthlei, Narzary cut in to come up with a fierce shot to see the ball strike the post and go out.

#2 Halicharan Narzary arguably the best player on the pitch

The Assamese winger Halicharan Narzary has always been considered as a hard worker. He has been preferred by a lot of coaches due to the work-rate and his willingness to track back and contribute to the defense. However, the final ball or cross and even his shooting has often let him down.

On Wednesday, it was totally different as he came up with a lot of threat on the left flank and kept troubling Dinliana throughout the match. Apart from the chance that was created in the dying minutes of the first half, Narzary was also involved in Hyderabad’s goal as he cut it and took a shot on target.

Jamshedpur FC's goalkeeper Pawan Kumar dropped the ball and Aridane Santana tapped in the ball in a predictable manner. At the other end too, Narzary helped out Akash Mishra as they kept the dangerous Jackichand pretty much silent during his stay.

#3 Poor refereeing mars the match

There were a number of unnecessary set-pieces as the referee blew his whistle often for non-fouls. (Courtesy: ISL)

After a few matches where the refereeing was good, the notoriously average ISL refereeing was back on show as Raktim Saha and his assistants came up with a number of questionable calls. In the first half, Dinliana produced a superb long ball to Alex Lima but the Brazilian midfielder was ruled off-side in an incorrect manner. If the play was allowed to continue, Lima could have really troubled Hyderabad FC as they maintained a high backline.

Then in the second half, Raktim Saha blew the whistle after a contentious foul from Odei Onaindia. Jamshedpur FC equalized through the free-kick as Hyderabad FC’s goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani punched the ball after which it rebounded off Aridane Santana to the back of the net. Curiously, the referee ruled out the goal even though there was no foul from Jamshedpur FC.

Jamshedpur FC center-back Peter Hartley should have also been penalized with a yellow card for a foul on Joao Victor but the referee chose not to do so. Hartley eventually went into the book for another rash tackle but it didn’t clear the earlier mistake. There were also numerous other small decisions which were questionable.

#4 Substitutions help Jamshedpur FC steal a point

Owen Coyle's clever substitutions worked to a nicety while Laldinliana Renthlei put in a fantastic shift too. (Courtesy: ISL)

As mentioned earlier, Jamshedpur FC looked out of ideas in the first half. Apart from a few nice moves from Jackichand Singh, Jamshedpur hardly entered the final third with command. In fact, their star striker Nerijus Valskis was left frustrated with the lack of supply. The center-back Peter Hartley tried to help with some long balls but they were often over-hit.

Despite conceding a goal in the early minutes of the second half, Jamshedpur FC looked much better due to the inclusions of Aniket Jadhav, Isaac Vanmalsawma and William Lalnufela who brought in a lot of energy. Eventually, it was only fair that Jamshedpur equalized through Stephen Eze’s powerful strike in the 85th minute.