Eze stunner salvages late point for Jamshedpur against Hyderabad

Stephen Eze celebrates after putting Jamshedpur level against Hyderabad.
Stephen Eze celebrates after putting Jamshedpur level against Hyderabad.
Deepak Malik / Sportzpics for ISL

Stephen Eze's stunning strike in the 85th minute salvaged a point for Jamshedpur with a 1-1 draw against Hyderabad at Tilak Maidan, on Wednesday. Aridane Santana had earlier given Hyderabad the lead in the 55th minute with his second goal of the season. The draw helps Hyderabad remain unbeaten after three games, while Jamshedpur are yet to get a win.

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Mohammed Yasir and Hitesh Sharma were back for Hyderabad, while Liston Colaco was also handed a first start. Laximikant Kattimani came in for Subrata Paul in goal. Owen Coyle made two changes to the side which was held by Odisha and preferred Amarjit Singh over Issac Vanmalsawma in midfield. With TP Rehenesh serving his one-match suspension, Pawan Kumar featured in the Jamshedpur goal.

It took less than five minutes for Hyderabad to launch their first attack. Quick passing allowed them to venture deep into Jamshedpur territory but Akash Mishra's final delivery into the box failed to find Liston Colaco. Jamshedpur dominated the first quarter, with Nerijus Valskis and Alexandre De Lima keeping the Hyderabad defence on their toes.

For Hyderabad, young Liston nearly scored early, when his 12th-minute free-kick beat the wall but failed to find the goal. Hyderabad were unlucky to have been denied by the post just before the break. After getting hold of his marker, Santana found Halicharan Narzary, who dribbled past Laldinliana Renthlei, but saw his narrow-angled shot come off the far post.

Hyderabad were ahead five minutes after the restart with Santana scoring off a rebound. Narzary danced his way past Renthlei and pulled the trigger. Goalkeeper Kumar only succeeded in diverting it into the path of Santana, who rolled the ball into the net.

With less than 20 minutes left, JFC thought they had scored, only for it to be disallowed by the referee. But their efforts finally paid off in the 85th minute when Eze fired home from inside the box. Chinglensana Singh's clearance off a Nerijus Valskis cross fell to William Lalnunfela who laid the ball for Eze. The Nigerian made no mistake with his powerful shot.

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