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Jamshedpur FC secured a 5-4 victory over Minerva Punjab in the penalty shootout after both sides played out a 0-0 draw in Monday's Indian Super Cup clash. Sanjiban Ghosh pulled off the final save of the match to deny Gagandeep Bali and earned his side a crucial victory to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Neither side had enough quality in the final third during the regular play time as they failed to make most of their chances. Here are the major talking points from tonight's clash.
#1 Rusty start to the game
Minerva and Jamshedpur took time to ease into the crunch encounter. Both sides looked rusty and a tad out of shape in the opening minutes of the match. Steve Coppell's men displayed no kind of focused intent and were happy to merely lob the ball into Minerva's half, solely to keep themselves out of danger.
Minerva, on the other hand, were equally wasteful in possession and ended up committing cynical fouls in their attempt to win the ball back. The opening minutes lacked fluidity as both sides were feeling each other out.
It wasn't an attractive start, to say the least. Aimless long balls and misplaced short passes were a regular scenario.
#2 Chencho cuts an isolated figure down the wings
Realising the potential threat of Chencho Gyeltshen, Jamshedpur FC flooded numbers down both the flanks and made it extremely difficult for Minerva's main man to impose himself in the first half.
The Bhutanese hardly got on the ball and was made to work hard on the rare occasions when he did. Yumnam Raju did a good job in man marking Chencho and ensured he snapped at his heels all night long.
On the rare occasions when he was afforded space to run into, Chencho was cynically brought down. Jamshedpur centre-back, Anas struggled to keep up with him and had no option but to dive into him. As a result of all of this, Minerva were coerced into playing centrally. It's the wings where their true strength lies.
#3 Intelligent Farukh Choudhary displays his versatility tonight
Having played 15 matches during the ISL season, Jamshedpur's 21-year-old midfielder has grown by leaps and bounds this year. Tonight, he was extremely intelligent against Minerva Punjab.
Farukh regularly switched positions and wasn't afraid to take on his marker. At times, he occupied the left wing and attempted to cut inside. The ambidextrous Choudhary looked equally at ease down the right wing too.
While he may not be the paciest players, he makes up for it with his immaculate close control and patience on the ball. With a little bit of polishing, Farukh can prove to be a fine asset for Jamshedpur. There is no doubt, he's come a long way from his Mumbai FC days in the I-League.
#4 Girik Khosla vs Anas Edathodika was an intriguing battle
Monday's Super Cup match threw up an interesting battle between two players on opposite sides of the age spectrum. Minerva's young forward, Girik Khosla locked horns with Jamsdhedpur's experienced campaigner, Anas Edathodika.
Girik, aged 23, played on the shoulder of Jamshedpur's centre-back's, making interesting runs all night long. He used his pace intelligently and gave Anas a tough time in the final third.
In the first half, Khosla brilliantly peeled away from Anas but could not get the ball past keeper, Sanjiban Ghosh. The 31-year-old defender found it arduous to keep pace with Girik and plunged into a dangerous tackle on the forward.
He received a yellow card for the same. Overall, it was Girik who got the better of Anas tonight in what was an extremely intriguing battle between two talented players. Exuberance won over experience tonight.
#5 Slugest results in a hard battle between Minerva and Jamshedpur
While the game initially had a stop-start feel to it, eventually it turned into a slugfest with both sides going hammer and tong in their laboured attempt to find the elusive opening goal. At Minerva's end, Girik and Chencho were the protagonists and created the best chances tonight.
At the other end, Jamshedpur's forwards were wasteful in front of goal. Usual suspects, Belfort and Priori cut frustrating figures and found it hard to make their way through a maze of Minerva players.
Both sides cancelled each other out in the middle of the park. To put it kindly, this was not the most attractive matches of the season. Far from it. The game did open up in the final 15 minutes but nothing noteworthy occurred.
