Jamshedpur FC bounced back from a 3-1 defeat against Bengaluru FC to beat fellow top-four challengers Kerala Blasters 3-0. Greg Stewart scored twice from the spot, and Daniel Chima Chukwu added another – his third since joining the club in January – as the Red Miners climbed to second in the table, a point behind leaders Hyderabad and with a game in hand.
Kerala Blasters’ centre-back pairing of Enes Sipovic and Marko Leskovic proved solid enough to repel waves of early Jamshedpur attacks. The duo marshalled attacker-in-chief Stewart, preventing the Scotsman from wreaking havoc himself or playing in his teammates.
His first attempt at goal, as a result, came from a free-kick in the 38th minute, which he kept low and to the goalkeeper’s side, but not on target.
However, the ex-Rangers man grew into the game as the half progressed, finding himself holding possession in dangerous positions. Jamshedpur’s opening goal came as a consequence of the same. Stewart, retaining the ball on the right side of the goal inside the Kerala box, was pulled down by Denechandra Meitei, and he scored from the resulting spot-kick to give his side the lead.
A minute after the restart, a late challenge from Leskovic on Boris Singh Thangjam caused the referee to point to the spot for the second time during the night. Stewart stepped up again, and Panenka’d the ball into the centre of the goal to put his side two ahead.
Fifty-three minutes in, Boris’s cross from the left was volleyed into the ground by Daniel Chima Chukwu, but the power on the shot took it past Prabhsukhan Gill for Jamshedpur’s third.
Kerala, three-nil down and unable to construct any meaningful attacks, were left frustrated. Meanwhile, at their own goal-end, Gill endured a couple of nervous moments; the Blasters’ custodian was nearly beaten by speculative shots from Ritwik Das and Laldinliana Renthlei.
Ishan Pandita came off the bench and flashed his header over the bar with just minutes left to play in the game, but his contributions weren’t needed, as Jamshedpur cruised to a comfortable win.
