Jamshedpur FC pipped ATK 1 – 0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. Trindade Goncalves’ second-half penalty proved to be the difference as the defending champions lost their third game in a row, with their chances of making the playoffs looking evidently bleak.

The visitors started by taking the attack to the hosts. The first chance of the match came in the 12th minute when Goncalves unleashed a first-time shot from the edge of the box that sailed inches wide of the top corner.

A few minutes later, Wellington Priori tried his luck from distance but failed to find the target from a slight angle. Again on the half-hour mark, Bikash Jairu did well to skip past a couple of defenders before feeding Izu Azuka with his pass, but the latter’s shot from an angle flashed inches wide of ATK custodian Debjit Majumder’s far post.

It was ATK though who fashioned the first shot on target five minutes from the break. David Cotterill’s corner was met with a sweet strike by Martin Paterson, but it was aimed straight at Jamshedpur custodian Subrata Paul who made the save.

Right on the stroke of half-time, the visitors nearly found the opener. Priori’s shot, following a melee from a free-kick, was met by a brilliant reflexive save by Debjit. The rebound was turned in by Azuka, but he was flagged offside. That proved to be the last action from the half, as the teams went into the break without the deadlock being broken.

Four minutes following the restart and Jamshedpur came agonizingly close to scoring. Souvik Chakrabarti put in a cross from the left, but Goncalves’ volley from the same came off the upright. Goncalves again missed a glorious opportunity five minutes before the hour mark. Azuka delivered a pin-point cross from the left flank that found the Brazilian unmarked inside the box, but his free header went surprisingly wide.

Six minutes after the hour mark, the league debutants got the much-deserved lead. Hitesh Sharma got into a tussle with Goncalves inside the penalty box and brought him down, with the referee consequently pointing to the spot. For the resulting penalty, Goncalves himself stepped up and sent Debjit the wrong way to break the deadlock.

The 71st minute then saw Cotterill step up to take a free-kick from the edge of the box, and while he got the ball up and over the wall, it just went wide of the post. Eight minutes from the end, Cotterill was at it again when he swung in a lovely cross from the right flank. Paterson’s header under pressure from his marker, however, flashed inches wide of the upright.

Substitute Kervens Belfort then squandered a glorious opportunity to double Jamshedpur’s tally, a minute from full-time. The Haitian was put through on a one-on-one situation with Debjit, but ATK’s custodian was quick to come off his lines and block the shot.

That was the last chance of the match, as Jamshedpur climbed to the fifth spot on the league table with the three crucial points.

MATCH AWARDS

Club Award: Jamshedpur FC

Swift Moment of the Match: Subrata Paul

DHL Winning Pass of the Match: Souvik Chakrabarti

Amul Fittest Player: Wellington Priori

Emerging Player: Jerry Mawihmingthanga

Hero of the Match: Trindade Goncalves

Watch the match highlights here: