Jamshedpur FC vs Tribhuvan Army FC Durand Cup 2025: Red Miners Edge Nepal Side in Five-Goal Thriller
- Pixel Sports Football Desk
- Jul 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 27
Jamshedpur FC got their Durand Cup 2025 campaign off to a winning start with a 3-2 victory over Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC in an action-packed Group C opener at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. In a match that swung back and forth, it was substitute Nikhil Barla’s second-half goal that proved decisive after the visitors came from behind twice.
Head coach Khalid Jamil fielded an all-Indian starting XI that featured new signings Manvir Singh, Jayesh Rane, Nishu Kumar, Sarthak Golui, and Vincy Barretto.
The home side struck early through Sarthak Golui, who capitalized on a handling error by Samit Shrestha to score in the 4th minute. But despite early dominance, Jamshedpur failed to make their set-pieces count and were punished when George Prince Karki equalised in the 26th minute with a low finish after linking up with Gillespye Karki.
Jamshedpur responded immediately. A sharp move saw C. Hriata feed Vincy Barretto, who turned his marker and squared it to Manvir. The forward coolly beat the keeper to restore the lead in the 31st minute.
The tempo dipped after the break, but TAFC stunned the home crowd when defender Ananta Tamang unleashed a spectacular long-range strike to make it 2-2 in the 64th minute. Jamshedpur, however, refused to be rattled. Just seven minutes later, substitute Nikhil Barla pounced on a loose ball in the box to give the Red Miners their third and final goal.
Despite some late pressure from the Nepalese side, Jamshedpur saw out the match with composure and tactical discipline to seal three valuable points and begin their Durand Cup campaign on a positive note.
