ISL 2018-19: ATK holds Jamshedpur FC to 1-1 draw

Sergio Cidoncha gave Jamshedpur the lead with a 35th-minute freekick before Manuel Lanzarote curled a corner directly into the net at the stroke of half-time to level scores.

Till the final whistle, there would not be a deciding goal as the two teams shared the spoils.

A solid defensive display from ATK saw it hold an in-form Jamshedpur FC 1-1 in the Indian Super League at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur, on Sunday.

Sergio Cidoncha gave Jamshedpur the lead with a 35th-minute freekick before Manuel Lanzarote curled a corner directly into the net at the stroke of half-time to level scores.

As it happened: ATK holds Jamshedpur FC to 1-1 draw

The ATK defence was called into the action as early as the sixth minute when Gerson Vieira's headed clearance thwarted Cidoncha from getting his head to a Michael Soosairaj cross.

The host was in control of the midfield with the ever-present Mario Arques and Memo working in tandem to nullify ATK's forays forward.

Soosairaj, meanwhile, was enjoying space down the left flank. His cross into the box allowed Cidoncha to send a volley at goal from close-range but the effort was straight at goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya who managed to punch the ball away.

Cidoncha had another chance to score when a rebound fell to his feet after Soosairaj's effort was initially blocked. But ATK had plenty of bodies inside the box to keep out the forward's attempt.

The third time was the charm for the Spaniard as the host took the lead in the 35th minute. Pronay Halder's foul on Cidoncha just outside the box allowed the forward to curl the resulting free-kick into the bottom right corner with goalkeeper Arindam at fault for not reading the bounce.

ATK pulls one back

ATK equalised against the run of play on the stroke of half-time. Lanzarote's in-swinging corner flew directly into the net after the goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury failed to punch it clear.

After the break, John Johnson and Gerson Vieira were required to hold firm as the host tried to find a gap in ATK's backline.

Manuel Lanzarote's willingness to drop deep in midfield allowed ATK to hold on to the ball better as the second-half progressed. Jamshedpur, which threatened from the flanks in the first half, was unable to maintain the same intensity after the restart.

Jamshedpur almost took the lead at the end when Carlos Calvo's cross was headed just over by Mario Arques. Till the final whistle, there would not be a deciding goal as the two teams shared the spoils.