Nerijus Valskis broke a nine-match goalless run to strike a brace and marshal Jamshedpur FC to a 3-1 win over FC Goa at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Friday.
FC Goa goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, who was named in the 2021 AFC Champions League Team of the Season, made a string of stirring saves to deny Valskis and Len Doungel in the opening half. The second half, though, was a different story.
Valskis got into the act, scoring a goal in the 51st minute. The 34-year-old drilled a low shot past Dheeraj to put his side ahead and returned to torment the Gaurs defence exactly 10 minutes later as he leapt beyond his marker to nod home Greg Stweart’s inch-perfect free-kick. Things only went from bad to worse for FC Goa as Jordan Murray, who came on in the 80th minute, scored within seconds of his introduction to triple Jamshedpur's lead.
Staring at a second successive loss, FC Goa threw the proverbial kitchen sink with the hopes of a late comeback.
Bedia hit the woodwork and Airam Cabrera scored in the 86th minute but it was too little too late. Owen Coyle’s Jamshedpur withstood the late pressure to claim only its third win in nine games against FC Goa.
The result: Jamshedpur FC 3 (Valskis 51 & 61, Murray 80) bt FC Goa 1 (Cabrera 86).
Saturday’s matches: SC East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan (7.30 p.m.); Mumbai City FC vs Hyderabad FC (9.30 p.m).
