Jamshedpur knocks out I-League champ Minerva after Sanjiban heroics

Sanjiban Ghosh made a crucial save in the penalty shootout to guide Jamshedpur FC to the quarterfinal of the Super Cup.

Jamshedpur FC players rush to congratulate goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh (in green) after his decisive save in the penalty shootout against Minerva Punjab on Monday.

Goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh turned out to be the hero of the match as Jamshedpur FC prevailed over I-league champion Minerva Punjab 5-4 in the penalty shootout to enter the quarterfinals of the Super Cup on Monday night.

Jamsehdpur's spot in the last eight was sealed when Sanjiban stopped Gagandeep Bali’s penalty. Kervens Belfort, Wellington Priori, Bikey, Sumeet Passi and Mehtab Hussain found the back of the net for Jamshedpur in the shootout.

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William Opoku, Eric Dano, Akashdeep Singh and Kamalpreet Singh scored for Minerva in the shootout of an evenly contested contest that went the distance.

It was all square at the end of 90 minutes as the two teams headed for 30 minutes of extra time. And the script remained the same at the end of 120 minutes too, leading to a penalty shootout at the Kalinga Stadium.

As the game headed towards the end of regulation time, both teams had almost equal number of chances at goal, yet they failed to break the deadlock. Both teams also enjoyed an equal share of possession.

Minerva’s star player Chencho Gyeltshen had two clear-cut chances from close range in the second half of extra time, but Jamshedpur goalkeeper Sanjiban saved his team on both occasions with his smart reflexes on the goalline.

Jamshedpur has had a fairly decent Indian Super League debut season finishing fifth with seven victories and six defeats in 18 matches played. On the other hand, Minerva scripted a fairytale journey to win the I-League title in only its second season in top-flight football.