A terrific game of football comes to an end as both teams share points at the end of a thrilling 3-3 draw. Gallego have NorthEast United the early goal in the fifth minute, while Grande equalised at the stroke of half-time.
The game came alive in the last quarter as Redeem put NEUFC ahead with an acrobatic volley, but Acosta restored parity with a fine snapshot. Jamshedpur captain Memo put his side ahead for the first time in the game, with a bullet of a free-kick, but the lead was short-lived as Leudo found the back of the net in the 88th minute to ensure both teams took home a point each.
90+3' Gallego slips on the turf and clatters against Vineeth and is subsequently shown a yellow card. The NEUFC captain appears to have injured his shoulder.
90+2' Mandi picks up a yellow for a foul on Rupert. Tempers are flying here in the dying embers of this game.
90+1' Leudo and Chaves pick up yellow cards. Leudo lucky to be on the pitch as his two-footed challenge looked awfully dangerous.
90' Four minutes to be added on.
89' What a mad turnaround here! We've got four goals in 12 minutes and the two sides are still on level terms! Oh and a sending off in between too. Can NEUFC take advantage of a 10-man Jamshedpur?.
88' WE HAVE ANOTHER GOAL AND NEUFC BACK ON LEVEL TERMS! Leudo wins the ball in the box and spins and fires a volley into the top corner to make it 3-3!
87' Sent off! Farukh gets into a spat with Lalengmawia and is shown a second yellow for time wasting. Jamshedpur FC is now reduced to 10-men!
85' JAMSHEDPUR STORMS AHEAD AS MEMO SCORES A STUNNER! It's a banger of a goal as Memo busts the net with a sublime strike. Heerings gave away a free-kick at the edge of the box and Memo slots it home in style.
83' Grande nearly makes it 3-2 to Jamshedpur as he has just the 'keeper to beat, but a last ditch challenge takes his shot away for a corner.
82' ACOSTA SCORES! He makes amends for missing the penalty with a stunning strike from distance. He wins the ball some 20 yards out, twists and turns and fires a snapshot well beyond Subhasish's reach. It's 2-2 now and Jamshedpur us back into the game!
80' SAVED! Subhasish goes the right way to deny Acosta! What a fantastic save this is! Acosta has another chance seconds later but its cleared off the goal-line.
79' Penalty to Jamshedpur! Wayne Vaz attempts a diving header but the ball strikes him on the hand and the ref points to the spot. Great chance for Jamshedpur to restore parity again!
77' REDEEM MAKES IT 2-1 to NorthEast United with a spectacular strike! Chaves plays a dangerous lob and Mandi tries to clear it but his weak header finds Redeem on the far post. The Shillong-lad positions himself perfectly and unleashes a fantastic air-bound volley to put his side ahead again!
75' Change for Jamshedpur - Sumeet Passi is replaced by Jitu.
70' We're down to the last 20 here! The two sides have played four draws in their five previous clashes. Signs of another one?
68' Sharp save from Rafique. Keogh beautifully lays it up for Redeem and the NEUFC attacker lets one rip with his left leg, but it is a fairly easy save for the 'keeper.
67' Farukh picks up a yellow for a foul on Lalengmawia.
65' That's classic Vineeth. He receives the ball on the left and cuts his way into the box to unleash a curling right-footer, but it takes a deflection and sails away for a corner.
62' First change for Jamshedpur FC - Farukh Choudhary comes on for Aniket Jadhav.
61' Redeem threads a fine through ball for Gallego, but the NorthEast captain can't convert this time. The ball runs past him and Memo clears the danger.
57' Replays show that Keogh's shot took a deflection off Mandi's hand! Should have been a corner at the very least, if not a free-kick? Unfortunate.
56' What a fine chance for Keogh! Aniket loses possession deep into the Jamshedpur box and Tlang runs with the ball down the right. He plays it to Chaves who releases Keogh down the centre with a weighted lob. Keogh fights off a challenge from a defender and chip the ball above the 'keeper, but narrowly misses the target.
52' It's been a very entertaining start to the second half. The goal at the knick of half-time has given NorthEast a renewed sense of belief, and it shows. Robert Jarni's men look a lot more solid now and are combining very well, something they struggled to do in the first 45.
46' Iriondo makes his first change of the evening as Jairu is replaced by Noe Acosta.
46' KICK OFF!
Gallego and Grande both score their first goals of the season as the first half ends with both sides on level terms.
45 +1' GOAAAAAAAL! David Grande scores in added time to bring Jamshedpur back into this game! Amarjit Singh crafts a curdling cross toward the far post and Grande leaps above his marker to head home the equalsier. What a way to end the opening half!
41' Pradhan is back at it! Passi fouls him and Pradhan waits until the ref's whistle to animatedly collapse to the ground.
40' Oooh, that's a tough call. Monroy completely takes out Gallego in the box, right under the ref's nose, but there's no foul/penalty given.
37' The rivalry continues - it's Aniket vs Pradhan and it's the NorthEast United man who wins the battle again. Aniket races down the right in a bid to get the ball, but he fouls Pradhan in the process and it's a NEUFC freekick.
35' What a chance for Bikash Jairu! A lovely lob from Aniket finds him at the goalmouth, but his first touch is a tad too heavy and the chance goes begging. First real chance for Jamshedpur.
30' CK Vineeth has been largely quiet so far, and almost invisible on the pitch. He hacks down Reagan on the right flank and receives a earful from the stands.
26' Gallego makes a surging down the right and whips in a cross behind the defence, but its cleared way for a corner. This is the home side's third corner in two minutes, but just like the two other set-pices chances, the side failed to create anything from it.
19' Komoski's off. He's struggling to move and has picked up a hamstring injury. Wayne Vaz replaces him.
17' Oh that doesn't seem good - Mislav Komorski is on the floor and appears to have hurt his hamstring! An early substitution for NorthEast?
14' Lovely passing play from the home side. Gallego and Lalengmawia exchange passes and the latter released Pradhan down the left. Pradhan had a man waiting in the box, but his cross is well defended by Aniket. NorthEast definitely growing in confidence.
10' The early goal has given NorthEast a much-needed injection of confidence. The side has seen close to 60 percent of the ball, had two shots on goal and has been the dominant team in the opening 10.
6' It's a fantastic start for the home side and it has been rewarded for its attacking approach. The opening goal came off a fine move as Andrew Keogh had a go at goal, but Rafique Ali came off his line to deny him. The rebound fell kindly to Gallego, who finished with aplomb.
5' GOAAAAAAAAAL! Gallego puts NorthEast United ahead! The captain gets his first goal of the season, and NorthEast United's first goal of the year, as he slots home on the rebound. 1-0 to the home side!
3' Fine display of theatrics here from Rakesh Pradhan. Aniket Jadhav elbows him in the chest and Pradhan theatrically jumps to the ground. Aniket offers him a hand to help him up, but Pradhan refuses. Early drama!
1' KICK OFF!
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7:25pm: The players are out in the centre and we're ready for kickoff!
7:15pm: The home side has another unwanted record - the side hasn't scored a single goal or won a game since the start of the new year!
7:05pm: NorthEast United has won just one match at home so far this season and is winless in its last five games at home, while Jamshedpur has won only one match away this season. Quite the stat!
6:55pm: Despite NEUFC's poor run of form, it has had a few bright spots in the form of the breakthrough seasons for couple of U-19 players Lalengmawia and Ninthoi.
Robert Jarni had big praise for Lalengmawia in particular. He said, "I don’t think India has a player like Lalengmawia in his position. I have already spoken to Igor (Stimac) about him. I think Lalengmawia is one of the top three midfielders in India. He, of course, has his own way and he knows what to do."
6:45pm: In the five times that the two sides have clashed, Jamshedpur has one once while the four other games have ended in draws. A first win on the cards for NorthEast today?
6:40pm: Leudo, Reagan and Tlang return to the starting XI for Northeast United, while Subrata Paul and Noe Acosta have been benched by the visiting side. Jamshedpur has made five changes for today's game.
6:30pm : Line-ups:
NorthEast United FC - Subhasish Roy (GK), Rakesh Pradhan, Mislav Komorski, Heerings Kai, Reagan Singh, Jose Leudo, Ninthoi, Redeem Tlang, Lalengmawia, Federico Gallego (C), Andrew Keogh.
Jamshedpur FC - Rafique Ali (GK), Joyner Lourenco, Sandip Mandi, Aitor Monroy, Memo Moura (C), Bikash Jairu, Sumeet Passi, Aniket Jadhav, CK Vineeth, David Grande.
Match preview - NorthEast United, Jamshedpur battle for pride
NorthEast United, well out of the playoff race, will battle for pride when it hosts Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20) clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Monday.
The home side will last won a game on November 6, 2019 against Hyderabad FC and has since managed four draws and six defeats. Its last goal scored from open play was incidentally against Jamshedpur FC when Panagiotis Triadis scored a late equaliser.
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NorthEast's passing in the attacking third has been a cause of concern, coupled with the side's poor finishing. Simon Lundevall is yet to adapt to the Indian conditions since his move from Sweden, while Andy Keogh hasn't received enough service. Federico Gallego hasn't managed to create an impact as he did last season, while Martin Chaves hasn’t scored a goal in 1107 minutes this season.
“I really don’t know what to say because some of the foreign players who left us, they really played well. It is not easy for our new foreign players to adapt in new conditions. You have to know your teammates, you need months to adapt with the club,” said Jarni.
Jamshedpur also has its own issues. It started the season with back-to-back wins at home, but has struggled since. Injuries to key men Piti and Sergio Castel further deepened the crisis as the side struggled to score goals in their absence.
Adding to that is the fact that the only recognised centre-back Tiri suffered an injury in the business end of the season too.
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Coach Antonio Iriondo will hope his players can show some spark and end their campaign on a high. One of the positives for the side has been the number of minutes the young players, namely Narender Gahlot, Jitender Singh, Sandip Mandi, Amarjit Singh and Aniket Jadhav, have earned, which would only help them in the following season.
“Obviously they are very young players, their first experience in the ISL so it is normal that they make some mistakes. Probably it has not been the best for the team in a competitive way, but the development of these players is going to be something great for the team in future. Next year surely they will be very important for the team,” said Iriondo.
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