Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid Jamil expressed his delight as the Men of Steel secured a comeback win against East Bengal FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Thursday.

Nandhakumar Sekar’s precise finishing inside the box handed East Bengal FC a slender 1-0 lead just before the stroke of halftime. Despite trailing until the 80th minute, the hosts staged a remarkable comeback, courtesy of Rei Tachikawa’s superb header and Jeremy Manzorro’s late free-kick.

Jamil expressed his pleasure after securing full points on their home turf. The head coach commended the work rate of the players, who held their nerves to snatch three crucial points from the Kolkata side.

“Everybody is happy to get the three points at home because everybody has worked hard,” Jamil said in the post-match press conference.

Despite East Bengal FC taking the lead, it was the home side that created more goal-scoring opportunities throughout the game. The head coach feels his players deserved the three points. He also lauds Manzorro, whose spectacular strike handed the Men of Steel their second consecutive win.

“We deserved the three points. We played in the same way as we played in our last two home games. But this time, (we won) because of Jeremy (Manzorro), he scored a free-kick (in the dying moments). So, it was the turning point,” he shared.

Jamil made three substitutions at the drinks break in the second half and substitutes Nikhil Barla and Rei Tachikawa combined well for the equalizer, while the other substitute also made promising moves down the left flank.

However, Jamil doesn’t want to take any credit for making those changes that had a positive impact, as he believes it is only his players who have made it possible to secure three points from this match.

“It was not my magic,” he stated.

“They (the players who were substituted in) played very well. Going inside (the pitch), Rei (Tachikawa) changed the game. Nikhil (Barla) put in a good cross like he did in the earlier games, and Rei (Tachikawa) scored. Alen (Stevanovic) also tried (to make an impact) after coming in. So, everybody is working hard as a team. That is a good point,” the head coach added further.

Jamil also had words of praise for his Spanish forward, Javier Siverio, who applied significant pressure on his former side East Bengal FC’s defensive line.

Speaking in context, he said, "Javier Siverio did everything but (he) couldn’t score. He didn't, but he tried. It (goal) will come. He's a hardworking player.”

He also applauded his young Indian players, Mohammed Sanan K. and Nikhil Barla. Jamil also mentioned his versatile midfielder, Imran Khan, who has been brilliant in the second half of the season.

“Imran Khan, Mohammed Sanan K, and Nikhil (Barla) are all working very hard,” he said.

“There is good competition within the team. Imran is a versatile player, and he played very well today. He put in numerous crosses tonight and has been playing well in the last consecutive matches,” Jamil concluded.

Related tags:

Jamshedpur FCEast Bengal FC2023-2024