ISL 2020-21 | The boys really wore the heart on their sleeves tonight: Jamshedpur FC’s Owen Coyle after win against Chennaiyin FC

Jamshedpur FC kept their playoff qualification hopes alive with a 1-0 win against Chennaiyin FC on Wednesday. The Men of Steel lost their last match to SC East Bengal and hence, they needed a win in this match to stay in the race for the playoffs.

It was a late own goal by Chennaiyin’s Enes Sipovic that gave Jamshedpur their winning goal in the match. They won despite missing their star striker Nerijus Valskis due to a niggle.

Head coach Owen Coyle seemed very pleased with the way his team played and was very happy to get the three points as well.

“I don’t think we played badly in the last game. I thought we improved in the second half but the goal changed the game. What we had to do today is win the game and we played good football against a very good team. A team I know very well, how dangerous they are,” Coyle said after the match.

“We had chances before the goal and I think we fully deserve the three points. The spirit the boys showed, we were beset by injuries before and after the game. (Nerijus) Valskis missed the game with a small niggle and then Diniliana, Stephen Eze and Alex Lima go off. The boys really wore the heart on their sleeves tonight and it was brilliant the way we represented the club tonight.”

Coyle also said that the ISL is in a very interesting stage now with so many teams still in contention of making the playoffs and the Men of Steel only added to the suspense but acquiring all three points in this game.

“All we have done is given ourselves a chance. Three teams are ahead of us at the moment and all of them have a game in hand. There are still enough points to play. What we have to do is keep ourselves in the fight. Keep it interesting because it is for someone else to give away. We have to keep trying, keep trying to win and keep it interesting and if someone else drops down then we have to capitalise and the only way to do that is to give performances like tonight.

“There are tough games coming up, ATK Mohun Bagan. Mumbai City and Bengaluru. In the first half of the season, we beat ATK Mohun Bagan, we drew against Mumbai with 10 men and beat Bengaluru. It is going to be challenging but we are ready for the battles,” said Coyle.

Jamshedpur are now placed sixth in the table with 21 points to their name and they will face ATK Mohun Bagan, Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC in their last three League games.