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Jamshedpur FC defeated East Bengal FC as Diamond Harbour FC beat FC Goa in the Reliance Foundation Development League 2024-25 National Group Stage clashes.
Jamshedpur FC beat East Bengal in the Reliance Foundation Development League (FSDL)
Jamshedpur FC and Diamond Harbour FC began their Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) 2024-25 National Group Stage campaign in style with convincing victories at the Reliance Corporate Park Football Ground in Mumbai on Sunday.
The opening match between Jamshedpur FC and East Bengal FC started with both the sides fighting to win the battle in the middle of the park. The Men of Steel however found their feet in the second half, finding the breakthrough in the 63rd minute. Ningthoujam Remson Singh took advantage of a dangerous cross coming from the right flank after the Red & Gold Brigade defence couldn’t clear it out, and cleverly beat a defender in a one-on-one situation to slot it home.
Jamshedpur FC found an opportunity to double their lead in the 80th minute when East Bengal FC goalkeeper Gourab Shaw brought Mayanglambam Ronaldo Singh down inside the box during a swift counter-attack. Moirangthem Marjit Singh stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake while hitting the back of the net. To end the matters, seven minutes later, Bivan Jyoti Laskar led a perfectly orchestrated attacking move from the right flank for the Men of Steel, skilfully beating two defenders to set up Lawmsangzuala inside the box. The forward comfortably tapped it in to make it 3-0 and ensure the three points for Jamshedpur FC.
The second game of the day between Diamond Harbour FC and FC Goa saw the former pick up a resounding 3-0 win. The team from Kolkata looked solid right from the get-go as they went in to the break with a 1-0 lead. Diamond Harbour forward Akash Hembram met with Benjamin Lalnunpuia’s cross inside the box with a first-time volley, hitting the back of the net.
Hembram went on to make it 2-0 for Diamond Harbour in the 55th minute when he cleverly beat the FC Goa goalkeeper one-on-one to complete a perfect counter-attacking move. The team from Kolkata went on to seal the win in the 65th minute when Benjamin coolly slotted the ball home from the spot after the referee awarded them a penalty following a hand-ball incident inside the box.
Diamond Harbour FC Head Coach Abhishek Das made an assertive statement following the victory, saying, “We have qualified for the RFDL National Group Stage as one of the top 12 teams from the country. We are here not just to participate but to win. Today we converted our chances as opposed to FC Goa, who are a very good team. Our next game is against East Bengal; we didn’t get a win against them in the previous matches this season and will aim for it this time.”
He went on to add before concluding, “We have 20 players in the team who are playing the RFDL for the first time, so it’s a huge experience for them. From here, we’ll be promoting players in the senior team, considering their performances in this league.”