(Football news) Jamshedpur FC emphatically defeated Chennaiyin 4-1 at the Tilak Maidan on Sunday to progress into second place in the Indian Super League table. Goals from Ritwik Das (23rd), Boris Singh (33rd), Daniel Chima Chukwu (40th), an own goal from Deepak Devrani (46th) ensured the Men of Steel won their third consecutive match and now have 31 points from 16 games. They are now just one point behind league leaders Hyderabad FC but have a game in hand. Chennaiyin FC’s Nerijus Valskis (62nd) managed to score a consolation goal but it wasn’t enough as the Marina Machans look unlikely to progress into the semi-finals.

Jamshedpur FC started off brightly with Debjit Majumder being forced to make a save from Boris at the right wing. The Men of Steel dominated possession which eventually led to a goal in the 23rd minute when Greg Stewart’s corner was headed back by Peter Hartley and Ritwik Das managed to score past Debjit and give his side the breakthrough. Three minutes after the cooling break, Jamshedpur FC doubled their advantage when Greg Stewart made a run inside the box and provided an assist to Boris Singh who simply tapped the ball into the net. 

If that wasn’t all, Daniel Chima Chukwu scored the third goal for Jamshedpur FC seven minutes later when a poor goal kick by Debjit Majumder resulted in Eli Sabia putting the ball back into the attacking third only for the Nigerian to tap the ball into the left corner. It was Chukwu’s fourth goal in five games for Jamshedpur FC and the 30 year old could have scored his second just before half-time when Stewart put him through with a delightful through ball but Chukwu’s shot went straight to the goalkeeper. 

Chennaiyin FC’s misery continued when Deepak Devrani scored an own goal from Greg Stewart’s floating ball just one minute after the start of the second half. The Marina Machans managed to pull a goal back two minutes after the hour mark through Nerijus Valskis who fired from close range after T.P Rehenesh stopped Ariel Borysiuk’s long range effort. Owen Coyle introduced Ishan Pandita in place of Chukwu while Hartley and Stewart were also substituted for Narender Gahlot and Alexandre Lima. At the end, it was a comfortable three points for Jamshedpur FC after a fantastic first half performance.

Jamshedpur FC will face NorthEast United in their next match on Friday, 25th February at the Fatorda Stadium while Chennaiyin FC will take on Kerala Blasters on Saturday, 26th February at the Tilak Maidan.

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