Jamshedpur FC 1-1 NorthEast United: 3 Reasons why the hosts could only manage a draw | ISL 2019-20

Jamshedpur FC played out a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United at the Furnace as both the teams missed an opportunity to catapult themselves to the perch of the ISL table.

The home side began the game confidently and immediately imposed their identity on the encounter. They passed around midfield adeptly and kept the ball ticking beautifully as they completely dominated possession.

Consequently, they created a host of chances with Farukh Choudhary coming close courtesy a spectacular bicycle kick in the 6th minute. 22 minutes later though, Jamshedpur were rewarded for their endeavours when a flowing move was finished off by Sergio Castel.

The visitors were accorded a couple of openings to restore parity in the remainder of the opening period but they failed to capitalise, meaning that the hosts enjoyed a slender one-goal cushion at the break.

After re-emerging from the tunnel, NorthEast seemed much more comfortable on the ball and looked capable of ruffling Jamshedpur’s feathers. However, the away side had to wait until the final minute of regulation time for their equaliser.

In the 90th minute, Asamoah Gyan rose higher than Tiri and laid the ball for Panagiotis Triadis. The Greek made no mistake and poked the ball past Subrata Pal.

Both teams couldn’t muster anything substantial in second-half stoppage time as the encounter meandered towards a tense stalemate.

Here is a look at the three reasons why Jamshedpur FC could only manage a draw.

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#3 Farukh and Sergio Castel turn in impressive performances

Farukh Choudhary

Through the early exchanges of the 2019-20 ISL season, quite a few young Indians have enjoyed brilliant campaigns, meaning that they’ve earmarked themselves for better things over the remainder of the term.

However, despite a plethora of local talent impressing, Farukh Choudhary has perhaps been the pick of that bunch. And, on Monday, the winger turned in another wonderful display as he was a constant thorn in NorthEast’s side.

On countless occasions, the forward got the better of his marker and left them for dead. An instance of a similar ilk occurred in the first half when Farkuh turned Jose Leudo near the half-way line before striding towards goal.

The winger also played an instrumental part in Jamshedpur’s opener as he timed his run to perfection, thereby freeing himself of the attention of Rakesh Pradhan.

Thereafter, he took Aitor Monroy’s pass in his stride before squaring the ball for Sergio Castel. The Spaniard did the rest and thumped the ball into the back of the net.

Apart from the goal, the duo showcased excellent understanding when linking up. Whenever Castel dropped deep, Farukh was on hand to exploit the space he had vacated whereas the former also offered the latter several passing avenues down the channels behind the full-backs.

However, the Spaniard’s outing was cut short when he was subjected to a rather robust tackle by Reagan Singh. Subsequently, the striker was withdrawn with him looking visibly distraught.

Thus, as the games pile up for Jamshedpur FC, they would be hoping that Castel returns to the fold swiftly, especially considering the telepathic relationship he enjoys with Farukh, which incidentally, forms their most potent attacking weapon.

#2 Jamshedpur dominate the first half

Castel put Jamshedpur ahead in the first half

Jamshedpur started the contest high on confidence and they were brave enough to assert themselves on the encounter. At the outset, they took care of the ball well and pinged passes across the pitch, meaning that NorthEast were left chasing shadows, at times.

As the half wore on, the hosts displayed the requisite cutting edge to carve open the visitors’ defence, especially down the flanks. Monroy and Noe Acosta were exceptional in the opening period in the middle third as they kept pushing and probing before playing the killer pass whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Additionally, they squeezed the pitch and compressed it as much as possible, thereby depriving NorthEast the time and space to play their way through midfield. The above also prompted the away side to hoof a few balls up to Gyan with the Ghanaian not enjoying much in the way of support.

Most impressively though, they weren’t afraid of keeping possession in tight areas, in the process, attracting the visitors’ defence and subsequently, creating space.

And, unsurprisingly, when they abandoned those ideals a touch, they were put under strife in the second half.

Over the course of the current season, Jamshedpur have always showcased a proclivity to play a controlled yet effervescent brand of football. And, though that particular trait didn’t materialise after the break, their superb first-half showing meant that they emerged from the rubble with a draw.

#1 NorthEast’s defensive approach at the start

Triadis popped up with the equaliser

NorthEast retreated into their shell too early in the first half, thereby allowing the hosts to control the game and get into the ascendancy. The visitors’ build-up play lacked conviction and they were content to clear their lines rather than being a little more proactive.

However, in the second half, NorthEast seemed intent on playing a more courageous style of football as they passed the ball around with intent while also creating more danger in between the lines.

Martin Chaves recovered after a sluggish opening 45 minutes whereas Gyan also profited from the increased number of midfield runners. Consequently, the goal also came about after a midfielder made the most of the Ghanaian’s flick-on, an aspect of their offensive play that hadn’t really come to the fore in the first period.

Furthermore, NorthEast defended much higher up the pitch, meaning that they were able to press the ball quicker and disallow Jamshedpur the time to scythe through their rear-guard.

Ultimately, that change in approach enabled the visitors to pile up the pressure and come away with a draw, courtesy a last-gasp equaliser by Triadis.

Thus, the NorthEast faithful couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve been had they began the game as positively as they ended it.