Jamshedpur FC finished their Super Cup 2023 group stage campaign with a perfect record beating hosts Gokulam Kerala 3-2 in the final group C game at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Tuesday.
ATK Mohun Bagan’s highly forgettable cup campaign ended on an even more sour note when they went down 0-1 to FC Goa in their final match at the EMS Corporation Stadium.
Jamshedpur are the only team to have registered three straight wins in the competition’s group stage in this edition.
The first half of the game saw Jamshedpur and Gokulam Kerala evenly matched, both holding an equal amount of the ball and attempting shots on goal. It was a battle fought in the middle of the park as the two sides tussled to take control of the game.
It was the Malabarians who drew first blood in the 33rd minute when Sourav got the better of three Jamshedpur defenders and passed it onto Samuel Konney in a dangerous position. The Ghanaian forward made no mistake in slotting it home. The goal brought cheers from the home fans’ who had turned up in numbers to watch their side play their final game of the tournament.
However, their celebrations were short-lived as Jamshedpur found a reply within minutes. It all started with a defence-splitting pass from midfielder Germanpreet Singh who spotted Harry Sawyer on the run. The Australian attacker used his finesse to beat goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil from close range to make it 1-1.
In the 58th minute, Jamshedpur finally found the breakthrough they needed. Farukh Choudhary showed great control inside the box and lashed it home through the legs of the goalkeeper to make it 2-1.
This time, it was Gokulam Kerala’s turn to bounce back and score the equaliser. In the 62nd minute, Samuel capitalised on a loose ball inside the box, dribbled past a couple of Jamshedpur defenders and drove it from an awkward angle.
The game took a lively turn as both sides produced an end-to-end contest in search of the winning goal. Ultimately, Ishan Pandita found the goal he deserved after several attempts on target earlier in the game. The 24-year-old met Ritwik Das’ clever assist at the edge of the box and beat the goalkeeper from distance to make it 3-2.
Having won all three of their group games, Jamshedpur will face Bengaluru FC in the semi-final on Friday.
Syrian recruit Fares Al Arnaout scored the only goal of the match in the 88th minute as Goa finished second in group C ahead of ATKMB.
ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando rested some of his front-ranking players from the starting line-up, including creative midfielder Hugo Boumous and captain Pritam Kotal. Lalrinliana Hnamte was given his first start in the competition. FC Goa head coach, Carlos Pena, rested Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem and gave young custodian Arshdeep Singh his first start.
With nothing at stake, the match turned out to be a drab encounter, though FC Goa were marginally better than their rivals. Forward Noah Sadaoui, tried to create some magic in up front for the Goa side with some individual brilliance. ATK Mohun Bagan defence had a tough time marking him on several occasions.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 88th minute. ISL Golden Glove winner, Vishal Kaith, failed to carry a curling corner, which was whipped in by Noah Sadaoui. Defender Fares Al Arnaout headed into the empty net to make it 1-0.