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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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
