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Jamshedpur FC scored their first goal in the ISL on Wednesday and in doing so, they registered their first victory in four matches and handed Delhi Dynamos their third loss on the trot.
The visitors pulled off a masterclass as they enticed Delhi into their half, who had absolutely no answers to the fort that Jamshedpur had built.
Here are the major talking points from tonight's tactical encounter.
#1 Dogfight ensues at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
After three rounds of matches, Delhi and Jamshedpur entered this one on equal points (three). Yet, their style of play couldn't be any more different. Debutants Jamshedpur had neither scored nor conceded a single goal. Delhi scored four and let in eight.
This clash of styles was evident on the pitch tonight. This was not a pretty match, far from it. Both sides slugged it out and could rarely play together a string of passes. Jamshedpur's rigidity and Delhi's urgency made for an extremely interrupted match. This was a dog-fight and neither side was willing to give in.
Every time Delhi attempted to make in-roads, Jamshedpur had two rows of men waiting to merely clear the ball. Passes were met with stern tackles and before players from either side could make decent runs, they were thwarted and outnumbered.
#2 Lallianzuala Chhangte is a joy to watch
For a 20-year-old, Lallianzuala Chhangte surely lives up to his jersey number. Positioned on the left wing, he was a live-wire throughout the night. Nutmegs, deft first touches and rapid pace, the midfielder displayed all the traits of an ideal winger.
He was among the few if not the only Delhi player who really troubled Jamshedpur. His unpredictability kept the Jamshedpur defenders guessing and at times, the visitors had to resort to cynical rash tackles to stop him.
Chhangte looked at ease on the ball. If there wasn't an opening on the wings, he never thought twice about running inwards, right into the heart of the opposition's defence, who looked on edge against him.
#3 Jamshedpur enter wonderland with first ever ISL goal
This was a long time coming, but it seemed like it would never come. On Wednesday, the ISL debutants finally broke their duck, scoring their first ever goal in the tournament against the Delhi Dynamos.
To put things in perspective, Steve Coppell's former side Kerala Blasters also failed to score in their opening three games last season. The English manager has interestingly replicated this with his new team as well.
After more than 330 minutes of football, Jamshedpur finally scored courtesy a deft header from Izu Azuka, which came from a well taken Mehtab Hossain set-piece. Some may say Coppell has been extremely defensive but most would be wise enough to realise the masterclass he has pulled off in the past and continues to even today.
#4 Delhi lacked the creativity to trouble Jamshedpur
For large parts of the match, the Delhi Dynamos enjoyed more than 65% of ball possession. But the reality is, they hardly did anything with it. For all their dominance on the ball, the home side rarely troubled Jamshedpur.
Simply put, Delhi were slow off the blocks and took ages to build up their attack. On most occasions, their attack looked too predictable and the visitors were more than fine in absorbing this non-threatening pressure.
The Dynamos surely made an attempt to score a goal, but the likes of Paulinho Dias and Jeroen Lumu were at a loss for ideas in the middle of the park. It gave Jamshedpur ample time to set shop.
#5 Mehtab Hossain - a rock in the middle of the park
They say if you win the midfield battle, you win the match. In Mehtab Hossain, Jamshedpur have a midfielder who is always willing to run the yards and cover every blade of grass. It's hard to imagine the distance Hossain covers.
Now 32 years old, not for one instant did the game's speed and tempo look beyond his control. In fact, it was his movements and sacrifices which let Jamshedpur move forward whenever they did get the opportunity.
With only 35% possession, they had the more shots on target, more crosses delivered and reached Delhi's goal in less than half the number of passes. By deploying Mehtab bang in the middle of the park, Jamshedpur ensured Delhi didn't run over them when the going got tough. The diminutive midfielder was solid and was constantly snapping at the heels of Delhi's attacking players.
