Jamshedpur held to 1-1 draw by Spanish team

Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC showed resilience in their pre-season campaign as they fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against Spanish club Gimnástica Segoviana in a friendly here on Wednesday.

Gimnástica Segoviana took the lead as early as the third minute after Jamshedpur defender Tiri brought down a striker inside the penalty area. The Spanish side made no mistake from the spot to put the Indian team on the back foot.

Jamshedpur began the match in a 4-3-3 formation, with Sergio Cidoncha leading the attack and Memo operating in front of the back four. Karan Amin, Tiri, Pratik Chaudhary and Yumnam Raju formed the defensive line.

The newly assembled Jamshedpur side struggled to find an equaliser before the break and went into half-time trailing 0-1. Head coach Cesar Ferrando responded by making seven changes at the interval, giving several players an opportunity to make an impact.

Among the most notable introductions was Spanish midfielder Mario Arques, who made his debut for Jamshedpur FC. Arques quickly settled into the game, helping the team gain greater control of midfield and creating more opportunities in the second half.

Jamshedpur's persistence finally paid off in the 82nd minute when Gourav Mukhi produced a superb individual effort. The forward embarked on a 30-yard run, beat the goalkeeper and found the net to bring the Indian side level.

The equaliser proved to be the final significant moment of the contest, with Jamshedpur unable to find a late winner before the final whistle.

The result represented a positive response from Jamshedpur after their previous 3-0 defeat against UD San Sebastián de Los Reyes. Against another Spanish opponent from Segunda División B, the team demonstrated an ability to recover from an early setback and avoid another defeat.

Ferrando said the overall performance was satisfactory, although he admitted that keeping a clean sheet had been one of the team's objectives.

“The overall game was satisfactory. The objective was to keep a clean sheet but unfortunately did not go as planned. The second half was extremely promising as the boys look sharp. We are definitely getting there,” the Jamshedpur head coach said.

The pre-season tour is giving Jamshedpur an opportunity to test its squad against competitive Spanish opposition while helping the coaching staff assess new combinations ahead of the upcoming ISL season.