At the Kishore Bharati Stadium on Thursday, Jamshedpur FC defeated Indian Air Force FT 2-1 to cap their Durand Cup 2022 campaign.
Jamshedpur FC took the lead thanks to a goal from Piush (26′), but the squad from the military forces fought back with an equaliser following a goal from Somananda (39′) in the waning moments of the first half.
Due to the efforts of Ruatmawia, who gave the Red Miners their lead back in the 84th minute, they were able to win the game and end their season.
In the opening minutes of the game, there was end-to-end action, with Indian Air Force FT looking dangerous whenever they moved the ball into the final third while Jamshedpur FC had more control.
Vivek nearly opened the scoring for the Armed Forces team, but the crossbar stopped him after he successfully counterattacked.
The Men of Steel quickly responded, scoring the game’s first goal through Piush after being set up by Ruatmawia, who dribbled past a defender and inserted a gorgeous through pass in-between the four defenders in the middle.
Somananda struck a belter, a strike that soared into the bottom-right corner practically from 40 yards out, giving the Jamshedpur FC goalkeeper no chance as Indian Air Force FT responded with an equaliser in the 39th minute.
The two keepers produced key stops at both ends to maintain a tie score as both teams began attacking with greater ferocity.
The equaliser gave Priyadarshan’s team fresh life, and they continued to put pressure on the Red Miners in the second half. When a stunning play, Jamshedpur FC had a great opportunity to regain the lead, but substitute Kamlesh missed a clear-cut opportunity after Ruatmawia made a cut-back pass to him, keeping the score equal.
Despite numerous opportunities, neither team was able to establish control because their performance lacked the last element—the goal.
Carlos Santamarina’s team defeated the military team once more in the 84th minute when left-footed wizard Ruatmawia scored to retake the lead for his team after finding the back of the net off a superb cross from Tapan Halder.
As the competition comes to a close, Jamshedpur FC finds itself in third place, ahead of FC Goa, a former champion, while Indian Air Force ends its season winless and at the bottom of the standings.
(Inputs from IANS)