Jamshedpur FC beat defending champions FC Goa 5-3 in Hero Super Cup opener

Jamshedpur, April 11: The Men of Steel kicked off their Hero Super Cup campaign on a positive note with a stunning victory over FC Goa. An 8-goal thriller saw Jamshedpur FC walk away with the three points with a full-time score of 3-5 at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode.

FC Goa found the early lead when they captialised on a Jamshedpur FC error. FC Goa’s winger, Noah Sadaoui was quick to slip it past TP Rehenesh to give  his side the advantage.

Jamshedpur were quick to respond as Rafael Crivellaro sent in a curling corner kick into the box which was nodded in by Pratik Chaudari to bring his side back into the game.

Just 15 minutes later, the visitors extended their lead. A freekick right outside the box was smoothly struck by Crivellaro into the side netting which the FC Goa custodian was unable to get his hands to.

Right before the half-time whistle, the Men of Steel slotted in their third as a powerful strike from Pronay Halder took a deflection off Fares Arnaout and crashed into the goal.

Just minutes into the second half, the Men of Steel netted another goal through a quick freekick taken by Eli Sabia which was collected by Ritwik Das and supplied into the box. A perfectly positioned Rafael Crivellaro placed the ball into the back of the net to score his second of the night.

The defending champions did not back down as they came through with two goals of their own in quick succession as headed goals from FC Goa’s Iker Guarrotxena and Noah Sadaoui brought back hope to the Goan side.

In the final minutes of the game, Harry Sawyer sealed the deal for the Men of Steel as a saved attempt from the FC Goa custodian deflected off the Aussie forward into the back of the net.

An exhilarating clash between the two sides ended in Jamshedpur FC’s favour as they beat FC Goa for the first time in the Hero Super Cup and moved to the second position in Group C. Jamshedpur FC will be facing table toppers, ATK Mohun Bagan next on 14th April, 2023.

‘It’s kill or die’, Rafael Crivellaro urges JFC to continue winning run

Jamshedpur, April 11: Jamshedpur FC midfielder Rafael Crivellaro, who played a massive role in his side’s 5-3 win against FC Goa in their opening game of the Super Cup, was delighted with the team’s performance against the Gaurs and urged his side to continue with the momentum in the tournament.

The Brazilian had a hand in three of his side’s goals against FC Goa on Monday, netting a brace while setting up another one which also included a magnificent free-kick

“(It was a) Very difficult game. I’m very happy about the team. We knew it’s (going to be) very difficult, this Super Cup, because if you lose, you don’t have much of a chance to go to the semifinals. This (win) was very important for us. I think everybody is very happy about the result,” Crivallero said after the game.

With this win, Jamshedpur FC moved to the second position in Group C behind ATK Mohun Bagan, who recorded a 5-1 win against Gokulam Kerala FC in their opening fixture.

Crivellaro called for his side to shift focus on the upcoming game, while mentioning it is going to be a do-or-die scenario for the Red Miners.

“Now we just need to recover and keep going to the next game because it’s very difficult. I think it’s kill or die,” he concluded.

Jamshedpur FC will take on ATK Mohun Bagan in their upcoming fixture on Friday, followed by their final group stage fixture against Gokulam Kerala FC next Tuesday.