“Main target was to score an early goal”: JFC head coach Khalid Jamil after winning against MCFC

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], September 22 (ANI): Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid Jamil urged his players to continue in the same vein after securing a comeback win against Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur FC on Saturday.

The Islanders broke the deadlock with an outstanding Nikolaos Karelis’ left-footed strike in the 18th minute. However, Jamil’s men showcased their resilience as they bounced back strong to secure a victory at the Furnace.

Jordan Murray, who scored the winner in the last match against FC Goa, equalised with a sharp header. Later on, Javi Hernandez netted a brace before Yoell van Nief pulled one back for the visitors.

The head coach highlighted his players’ hard-working mentality as they secured another victory.

“Everyone worked really hard; that’s why we won the game. We must keep going with the same spirit. It’s better for us to think about the next game,” Jamil said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by the ISL official website.

It was Jamshedpur FC’s first match on their home turf, and they got the better of Petr Kratky’s men in front of the home crowd despite conceding first. While Javier Siverio led the line in their victory against FC Goa, he was joined by Jordan Murray in attack against Mumbai City FC and their partnership alongside Javier Hernandez caused problems for the Mumbai City FC defence.

The head coach underscored the significance of scoring early goals while playing at home and revealed he handed Murray a start in the playing eleven to do that.

“It was our home ground, so the main target was to score an early goal. That’s why we used Jordan Murray. Javier Siverio was also there. He (Siverio) was not playing as a lone striker. Murray and Javi (Hernandez) were there to support him. Imran (Khan) could perform better, but he is young, will learn from his mistakes, and will bounce back again,” Jamil added.

Hernandez was at his very best in the game, as he scored twice, leading his side with his offensive versatility. The Spaniard first scored from a direct free-kick and added to his tally in the 50th minute, after combining well with Seiminlen Doungel on the left flank.

After taking a 3-1 lead to the game, Jamil’s men were seen organising their defense line to keep their lead intact.

While quizzed about shifting to defensive strategies, Jamil remarked, “As we were 3-1 up, it was important to be defensively strong.”

“They made some changes and played with three strikers. They played more offensively with three defenders. So we needed to stop them,” the head coach signed off.