(Football news) Jamshedpur FC progressed to second place in the Indian Super League table after a convincing 3-0 victory over Kerala Blasters at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. Two goals by Greg Stewart (45th, 48th) at either side of half-time from the penalty spot as well as Daniel Chima Chukwu’s goal in the 53rd minute sealed the three points for the Red Miners. The result means Jamshedpur FC are now on 25 points from 14 matches, having played a game less than table toppers Hyderabad while Kerala Blasters dropped to fifth place with 23 points from 14 games.

Both teams started the match cautiously but Jamshedpur FC had more of the ball but neither side created a meaningful opportunity before the cooling break. After that, Kerala Blasters began to assert themselves in the match with Abdul Sahal, Adrian Luna and Alvaro Vazquez exerting their influence. Jamshedpur FC had an opportunity to take the lead through Ritwik Das who skipped past a couple of players and passed the ball to Jitendra Singh whose effort was blocked. 

The first real opportunity came when Denechandram Meitei gave away a cheap penalty after pulling down Greg Stewart inside the penalty area. The Scottish striker found the back of the net after sending Prabhsukhan Gill the wrong way and slotting the ball in the bottom right corner. In the second half, Jamshedpur FC scored two goals in the space of five minutes to kill any chances Kerala Blasters had of making a comeback. For the second goal, Boris Singh was fouled inside the penalty box by Marko Leskovic which was duly converted by Stewart again while Daniel Chima Chukwu scored the third goal in the 53rd minute after being assisted by Boris. 

Jamshedpur FC will next face Mumbai City FC on Thursday, February 17th at the GMC Athletic Stadium while Kerala Blasters FC will take on East Bengal on Monday, 14th February at the Tilak Maidan.

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