ISL 2021-22: Bengaluru hold Jamshedpur to goalless draw

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:01 am

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu collects the ball for Bengaluru FC vs Jamshedpur FC.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu collects the ball for Bengaluru FC vs Jamshedpur FC.
Faheem Hussain/Focus Sports/ ISL

Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC played out an engaging goalless stalemate at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Monday.

Jamshedpur moved to second with 12 points but will rue their missed opportunity to close the gap on leaders Mumbai City who lost to Kerala Blasters on Sunday. Bengaluru now have two draws in a row and their first clean sheet of the season but continue to languish at second-last with just 6 points.

The match started off with major talking points after Sunil Chhetri was named on the bench for the second game in a row. Jamshedpur were then dealt a major blow when star striker Nerijus Valskis pulled up with an injury during the pre-match warm up. Jordan Murray replaced him up top.

Udanta Singh, starting on the left flank, troubled Jamshedpur early on. First, failing to connect properly on a cross from Ajith Kumar's cross and then minutes later, sending in a cross that neither Cleiton Silva nor Prince Ibara could reach.

Alex Lima shot narrowly wide soon as he swiveled past three men.

Both goalkeepers, though, were soon called into action multiple times in the first half. Hat-trick hero from last week, Greg Stewart crossed in a ball towards Murray but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu rushed forward to clear purposefully. At the other end, Ashique Kuruniyan curled in a ball from the left perfectly for Cleiton Silva, whose header was parried off brilliantly by Rehenesh TP.

The second half saw more profligate finishing from both sides. Greg Stewart and Lima continued to be the focal points of attack for the Men of Steel but it was effective defending that kept BFC out of trouble.

Prince Ibarra had just a couple of shots, that too off target but Cleiton, who looked promising was substituted off for Sunil Chhetri with quarter of an hour to go. Cleiton went straight off and into the dressing room, kicking an advertising hoarding in frustration.

Chhetri almost made an instant impact, his header deflecting off Alan Costa on to the crossbar. That would be the last action we saw in the match as Bengaluru held on for a crucial cleansheet.