ISL: Jamshedpur edge past Mumbai City
Mumbai, Oct 2 : Jamshedpur FC lived up to their early pre-season promise with a methodical 2-0 victory over Mumbai City FC in their Indian Super League opener at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Tuesday.
In a fiercely-contested affair, Mario Arques' 28th-minute header and Pablo Morgado's second in the fifth minute of added time proved to be the difference.
It was the visitors who started the match in a much more confident manner and a move involving Jerry Mawihmingthanga almost paid off in the 10th minute.
The Jamshedpur winger played a one-two with Memo before crossing the ball across the box. Sergio Cidoncha's attempted bicycle kick failed to come off before Carlos Calvo's shot was deflected out for a corner.
The resulting set-piece saw Calvo find himself in a great position to score once again but the Spaniard blasted his effort over the bar.
Mumbai were finding it difficult to make any real forays into the Jamshedpur box and the visitors deservedly took the lead in the 28th minute through a Mario Arquesa's header.
The Spanish midfielder's attempted shot from 25 yards out initially found its way to Calvo on the left-flank. Calvo crossed the ball back across the face of goal and Arques, who had made a brilliant run, cushioned in a perfect header from a tight angle.
Cesar Ferrando's men almost doubled their lead immediately after the restart through a Calvo corner.
An unmarked Tiri rose well to meet the excellently taken corner but his header was cleared off the line by Lucian Goian.
Mumbai should have levelled matters minutes later following a midfield scramble which ultimately saw Sanju Pradhan thread a brilliant through ball between Jamshedpur's two central defenders to release Rafael Bastos on goal.
With just goalkeeper Subhasish Roy to beat, the Brazilian somehow failed to get a proper connection on the ball and the meek attempt was easily dealt with by the Jamshedpur custodian.
Subhasish though, was required to be at his very best around the hour mark after Goian's punted ball forward was flicked on to the path of Modou Sougou.
The Senegalese striker's perfect header seemed destined to nestle into goal before Subhasish pulled off an excellent dive to tip the ball over for a corner.
Mumbai thought they had got their equalizer in the 77th minute after Rafique's header from a cross from the left-flank beat Subhasish.
Much to the dismay of the home fans and the coach, the goal was ruled out for offside. Another 'goal' in the 85th minute was again flagged for offside.
There was a goal, finally, but at the other end.
In added time when Mumbai pressed more men forward, a quick break saw Sergio Cidoncha release debutant Pablo Morgado Blanco down the right flank. And the substitute sealed all three points for his side with a thumping finish which beat Amrinder Singh from a tight angle.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
