Jamshedpur FC vs Bengaluru FC: Five talking points from the ISL match

An in-form Jamshedpur FC took on Bengaluru FC today in the Indian Super League. Jamshedpur were looking to add three more points to their tally with a win against a struggling Bengaluru but the Blues stood firm and snatched a point from the encounter. Even though the match ended in a 0-0 draw, it had plenty of sparks.

Here are the top five talking points from the match.

Bengaluru's first clean sheet

Bengaluru FC were looking very defensive throughout the first half, It looked like a matter of time before Jamshedpur broke the deadlock. But the Bengaluru defence soaked up the pressure well. They also tried some occasional counter-attacks.

In the second half, the positions flipped as the Pezzaiuoli men established themselves on the driving seat. Bengaluru's attack was intensified by a significant margin. They started to commit more bodies upfront and the Heartly led Jamshedpur defence had to stand pretty firm to deny them. The attack on the Jamshedpur side did take some load off of the Bengaluru defence. As a result, BFC got their first Clean sheet of the tournament.

Jamshedpur's unfortunate injuries

Jamshedpur's luck was not with them today as they had to face two injuries in quick succession. Valskis was the first to go out due to a hamstring injury during the warm-up. Komal Thatal, who was looking promising on the left flank had to leave the game pretty early in the first half and had to be replaced by his India U23 teammate Boris Singh. Meanwhile, Jordan Murray made his full time debut in the Indian Super League due to the unfortunate last minute injury to their main goal scorer Valskis. Murray, who had already scored his debut goal in the ISL could not mark this occasion with a name on the scoresheet but his understanding with the final third was good.

Sunil Chhetri dropped from the starting eleven

Sunil Chhetri's unfortunate form is finally catching up to him as the Bengaluru gaffer made the cautious choice of leaving the talisman out of the starting lineup. Udanta Singh who was deployed in Sunil's usual position left flank, has shined throughout the first half. Chhetri was introduced at 75th minute swapping Cleiton Silva which might have raised a few eyebrows to show his worth but the time was always running a little too low for the Indian Captain.

Bengaluru's left wing

Bengaluru didn't look very comfortable on the attack in the first half, Apart from their ever-reliable Cleiton Silva, the only other spark came from the left flank of Bengaluru. The partnership of Ashiq Kuruniyan and Udanta Singh often made things hard for the Heartly led Jamshedpur side with their speed. Udanta particularly was very impactful on the left wing. Pezzaiuoli all Indian left flank did impress with their speed and poise on the attack.

Balanced side of Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur probably has one of the most balanced sides on the ISL this season. They lost two important attackers on the day of the match. Still, their fluidity on transition and their understanding of the final third was commendable. The brilliance of Gurpreet Singh stopped the men of steel from breaking the deadlock. Jordon Murray and Borris Singh both had filled the boots of Komal and Valskis well. Even without a win, Owen Coyle's team looked like a well-oiled machine.