A last-gasp strike from Sergio Cidoncha helped Jamshedpur FC steal a point against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday. The Spaniard scored in the fourth and final minute of added time, slotting home from close range after BFC had failed to clear a long ball over the top.
The host appeared to have snatched all three points minutes earlier, when a leaping Sunil Chhetri headed Harmanjot Khabra’s cross in to put his side 2-1 up. But it was not to be as an eventful encounter ended all-square, leaving both teams with four points from two matches.
The game began as a tight, cautious affair, with little to separate the sides. Jamshedpur dominated possession early on but did little of note with it. Cesar Ferrando had declared on match-eve that he hated “back and forth” passing between his defenders; he will have been disappointed, for his men showed little endeavour or purpose going forward.
Jamshedpur’s lack of width through the middle gave BFC much space on the flanks, and it was here that the home side created some early chances, through Udanta Singh on the right. A goal, though, remained elusive.
Deadlock broken
The deadlock was eventually broken on the stroke of half-time when BFC, which had been threatening from set-pieces, made one count. Xisco Hernandez floated in a deep free-kick, and the ball was headed back out. Nishu Kumar went darting forward, beating Mawihmingthanga to the rebound, and fired a right-footed shot into the net from the edge of the area.
BFC emerged for the second half with a great deal of confidence. Chhetri squeezed a shot just wide of the post while Miku found space inside the box on multiple occasions. Jamshedpur had a vociferous appeal for a penalty turned down.
Ferrando was increasingly animated on the sidelines and the contest appeared to be drifting away from his side when substitute Gourav Mukhi made a telling contribution. The blond-haired striker raced on to a ball over the top, shrugged Albert Serran off and poked the ball past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. There were nine minutes left on the clock; as it turned out, that was enough time for a lot more drama.
The result: Bengaluru FC 2 (Nishu Kumar 45, Sunil Chhetri 88) drew with Jamshedpur FC 2 (Gourav Mukhi 81, Sergio Cidoncha 90).