In what turned out to be a nail-biting encounter, Jamshedpur FC survived a stern Bengaluru FC test to edge past 1-0 in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21, at the Fatorda Stadium in Bengaluru, on Monday. The win has taken Jamshedpur to the third spot, while Bengaluru has dropped to fourth.
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Meanwhile, frustrations crept in for Jamshedpur coach, Owen Coyle, who once again targeted poor referring. "I feel robbed. It's becoming embarrassing. I'm okay with fouls not going our way, but clear decisions like today are embarrassing. The ball was clearly over the line and linesman did not see it. At a level we are playing, that should not be happening. The boys have played their socks off and this happens. I feel cheated," he said.
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Meanwhile, following the win, Jamshedpur head coach, Owen Coyle, was all praise for his boys, as he said, "We throughly deserved the three points. We should be on top of the league. What's happened with us on and off the field - we have played nine games in 38 days... no other team has. This group of players deserve all the credit."
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"Bengaluru have big, strong, physical players. I was disappointed in the first half because we worked well in space, but never delivered the ball. We were better in second half. We need to become better with our final deliveries. Peter and (Alex) Lima took pain injections to play. This group has been unbelievable. The subs were 18 and 19 years old and are fantastic to work with. The boys give everything for their teammates," he added.
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Nonetheless, same was not the case with Bengaluru head coach, Carles Cuadrat, who vented his frustration, with numerous encouraging chances not going their way. "It is important to score goals and we did not today. We arrived several times with clear opportunities to score. It's not about which striker to choose, it's about putting the ball inside. You see the kind of chances..it's about the decision you take in the moment. Even when Suresh played it to Cleiton, you can't blame the striker....it's the little things...that's football," he said.
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"There was no other plan. It was very close to happening because we know about the space between their central defenders and fullbacks and the balls we served to Cleiton and Sunil worked pretty well. We had chances to score. When we score and lead 1-0 its a different game and when they score you have different problems because it's easy for them to be compact and not offer space," he added.
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On being questioned about taking Suresh Singh off, he replied, "As you know, the coach is the one who knows what's happening day after day. At that moment Suresh had a yellow card. We tried to put Cleiton into a more of a centre position and bring on a fast winger. The plan was to finish with 3-5-2 and have Leon and Edmund making runs inside and try to get something from Sunil, Deshorn and Cleiton."
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Meanwhile, Jamshedpur goalkeeper TP Rehenesh was the Man of the Match, as he said, "Bengaluru is one of the best teams in the league and keeping a clean sheet against them is a happy moment. It was a very tough task to defend a 1-0 lead because the game can change at anytime. It was a 100 per cent team effort. All the boys showed character and desire to win. I am happy for team and myself."
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Speaking on the next game against ninth-placed Kerala Blasters, he said, "Everyone knows Kerala Blasters is one of the best sides. They have played two good games and it will be a big task for us. Hopefully, we play our game and get the maximum points."
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