
Jamshedpur: Third damp squib. Jamshedpur FC lost to Chennaiyin FC by one goal on home ground before a packed stadium of fans on Thursday.
With this win, Chennaiyin FC top the table with 16 points from eight matches. Jamshedpur FC have 9 points from seven matches.
Before the game started, it was already a bit of a David and Goliath situation when newbie Jamshedpur FC with 9 points on the Indian Super League table and no wins so far, locked horns with table-topper Chennaiyin FC with 13 points and morale-boosting wins against Atletico de Kolkata and Bengaluru FC.
But, Jamshedpur was ready to back home team in their third home outing this ISL season with cheers, flying kisses and red flags at the packed 24,000-seater JRD Tata Sports Complex.
Adding to the excitement was Junior B, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, the co-owner of Chennaiyin FC, who flew in with co-owner Vita Dani, and called Jamshedpur "a beautiful city from what I could see in my first trip".
Third co-owner, Ranchi boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni skipped the match.
But, JFC loyalists reserved their flying kisses for home team's Haitian striker Kervens Belfort.
"Belfort bahut mast player hai. Yeh kiss uske liye (Belfort is a fun player, this kiss is for him)," shouted Chintu Rajan, a commerce graduate, before the match started a little after 8pm. Bistupur homemaker Pushpa Dheer, in her 40s, said she was here for the first time and was feeling the excitement around her in the stadium. Rajan Prakash, a software engineer who came from Ranchi, said he missed the earlier two JFC matches (against ATK and FC Pune City) due to work pressure, but managed to find time for the third.
After a minute's silence during the national anthem, the crowd roared "Jamshedpur, Jamshedpur, Jamshedpur...".
At its 41st minute, the crowd groaned. Chennaiyin FC beat Jamshedpur FC 1-0 via penalty shot by Jeje Lalpekhlua. The crowd never recovered from this shock.