Ritwik Das scored a winner in the second half to help Jamshedpur FC beat ATK Mohun Bagan 1-0 to earn their first League Shield in the Indian Super League in Margao, Goa on Monday. Jamshedpur needed a draw to finish at the top of the league table and take the League Shield, and the Red Miners drove on Ritwik’s goal in the 56th minute to ensure they finish the season at a high level and a great campaign under Owen Coyle closed.
They finished with 43 points from 20 games and won 13 games. ATKMB finished their league engagements with 37 in their cat from 20 matches.
Jamshedpur will face Kerala Blasters in the first semi-final on March 11, while ATKMB will face Hyderabad FC in the penultimate-four clash the following day. Jamshedpur gets richer with Rs 3.5 crore, the League Shield prize money.
ATKMB was supposed to win with a 2-0 win to beat Jamshedpur and second-seeded Hyderabad FC, but it wasn’t to be as Ritwik continued his purple patch with a luscious attack after Greg Stewart did all the spade work.
The Mariners enjoyed more possession in the early exchanges and came closest to breaking the deadlock when a wild try from Tiri went wide. The busiest person on the pitch was the umpire, who reached for his pocket three times, flashing yellow cards in the first half and all to Jamshedpur players.
After changing ends, Stewart began to boss his crazy runs and sharp passes, and his industry paid off four minutes before the hour as the Scot dodged two ATKMB shirts to cut his right and his to beat marker.
Stewart went for goal himself, but the ball came from an ATKMB player and fell to Ritwik, who fired the first time as the ball went past Amrinder Singh and into the back of the net.
ATKMB tried hard to make a comeback, but Jamshedpur held out and eventually took three points, making him the first side in ISL history to take seven wins in a row.
Jamshedpur’s renaissance kicked off last year under Coyle when they secured a credible sixth-place finish, bringing an impressive style of play to the renowned English tactician and also a roadmap for the future.
This year Stewart has been exceptional for Jamshedpur and so has Daniel Chima Chukwu whose move to the club in January proved to be a masterstroke.
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It remains to be seen whether the newly crowned League Shield winners will win the ISL title or not, but it has already been an exceptional season for them.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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