KOCHI: Hyderabad FC and Jamshedpur FC played out a goalless draw in the Indian Super League at the Tilak Maidan, Vasco on Sunday and the frustration in both camps was evident at the final whistle.
Three points were crucial for both sides as the two have been conceding points in the previous rounds, resulting in early title contenders Jamshedpur suffering a spectacular slide down the table while Hyderabad has allowed other teams to get back into the race for play-offs.
The stalemate on Wednesday saw Hyderabad play out their third straight draw while Jamshedpur are now winless in four matches. On a positive note, they have arrested their three-match losing streak.
What would worry both coaches is the lack of conversion by their strike-force up front. There are also question marks on whether the teams are placing an over-reliance on their forwards Nerijus Valskis (Jamshedpur) and Aridane Santana (Hyderabad) respectively.
It was Manuel Marquez's men who started on the front foot when the game got underway. The Jamshedpur defence was put under relentless pressure and Joel Chianese had a few glorious opportunities to put Hyderabad in front. The Australian found himself one-on-one with Jamshedpur goalkeeper TP Rehenesh thanks to a beautifully threaded pass by Santana in the ninth minute.
The 30-year-old who made a return to the playing eleven ended up shooting straight at the keeper when the goal was at his mercy.
The Nizam's were choking the Red Miners with their high pressing and were utterly dominant.
They again had a glorious opportunity in the 21st minute when a lightning-quick attacking move saw Chianese release Halicharan Narzary down the left channel. The in-form winger unleashed a searing low shot with his left foot which was tipped onto the far post by a full stretch Rehenesh.
After the drinks break, Jamshedpur managed to regroup and were more organised defensively. They even had a chance to score as half-time was approaching with centre-back Stephen Eze hitting the crossbar from a corner.
The second half was a different story altogether as the intensity dropped significantly from both sides. In what has been a familiar pattern, Hyderabad were not as intense as they were in the first half.
Jamshedpur, who fielded their two new signings Seiminlen Doungel and Farukh Choudhary could not create clear-cut goalscoring opportunities as the half went on at a sedate pace. They were clearly missing the services of influential winger Jackichand Singh who joined Mumbai City FC in the January transfer window and Valskis cut an isolated figure.
At the other end, Aridane was putting up yet another brilliant shift both in attack and also while defending set-pieces but they struggled to threaten Jamshedpur in the same way they did in the first half.
Valskis had a glorious opportunity to score late on when he was afforded a free header but he ended up hitting it straight at Hyderabad keeper Laxmikant Kattimani as both teams shared a point.