A solitary goal from the Bengaluru FC Skipper Sunil Chhetri made the difference in a hard and evenly contested Southern Derby against Chennaiyin FC on Friday at the Bambolim stadium. BFC finally brought up their first win of the season and went ahead CFC in the ISL points table.
Chennai suffered a huge setback in the fifteenth minute of the match when their prominent midfielder Anirudh Thapa was forced to leave the field due to the injury that he suffered in the initial minutes of the game. The Tamil Nadu midfielder Edwin Sydney Vanspaul replaced him in the middle and made his first appearance of the season.
Edwin continued his rhythm from the last season and proved effective for the Marina Machans. However, a dirty challenge from him inside the box handed over the penalty to Bengaluru. Soon Chhetri converted the penalty from the spot to give an unassailable 0-1 lead for his team and BFC kept the score unaltered till the end.
Chennaiyin pressed hard in the final minutes of the game and tried to score the equalizer but Gurpreet stood tall between the two posts and denied them access. Players from both the teams gave their best and ignited the derby.
Let us now analyze the performance of each player:
Chennaiyin FC
Vishal Kaith – 7.5
The Marina custodian was pretty much decent throughout the match and didn’t commit any errors. He pulled off a stunning save in the second half to deny the free-kick from Dimas.
Reagan Singh – 7
“Mr Consistent”, Reagan in his 72nd ISL appearance stood up to the mark and delivered a good performance in the right flank. He made important tackles and proved difficult for the Bengaluru wingers to deliver the crosses.
Eli Sabia – 7.5
The Brazilian Beast was once again the standout performer for the team and he was excellent at the backline. He gave a tough time to the BFC strikers.
Enes Sipovic – 7.5
The tall Bosnian centre back emerged as a nightmare for the Bengaluru players in this game. He even contributed to his team’s attack and showed some resilience in the defence. He won vital ariel duels and did clean tackles in the game.
Jerry Lalrinzuala – 7
The left-back provided the much-needed balance in the defence and gave an above-average effort in the match. Jerry’s aggression stopped Bengaluru’s attack from the left side and protected the team from excessive damage.
Deepak Tangri – 7
The 21-year-old defensive midfielder has already proved his worth in the first two games. In this match, he continued to excel and somehow managed to fill the void left by Thapa.
Anirudh Thapa – Unrated
Unfortunately, Thapa just played for the first fifteen minutes and was forced to leave the field due to the injury. So, he couldn’t be rated.
Esmael Goncalves – 7
Isma was effective at the beginning of the match and brought his skills to play. He had a few opportunities to find the back of the net but he failed and was replaced later.
Rafael Crivellaro – 8
Chennaiyin captain was yet again the best performer for the team in this match. As usual, Crivellaro created numerous chances for his team and fired a few at the net.
Lallianzuala Chhangte – 7.5
A lot is expected from Chhangte this season. Now he is starting to return to his old form and there was an improved performance from him in the match. He provided excellent crosses at the top and tried to set up Sylvestr and Isma.
Jakub Sylvestr – 7
Again, it was a disappointing performance from the much-expected Slovakian forward Jakub Sylvestr. He found the target a few times but still couldn’t score his first goal in India.
Substitutes:
Edwin Sydney Vanspaul – 7
He replaced Thapa in the first half and proved as the better replacement. But a single mistake from Edwin which gave away the penalty overshadowed his good performance.
Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev – 7.5
The Tajikistan midfielder pressed the accelerator in the final stages of the match and gave the boost for Chennai’s attack. He almost found the net in the closing minutes.
Rahim Ali – 6.5
The young Indian forward came at the 75th minute and didn’t make much difference to the scoresheet.
Germanpreet Singh – 7
He was the last reinforcement to Chennai’s team. Germanpreet gave his support to Fatkhullo and tried to find an equaliser for his team.
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 8
The Bengaluru Goal Keeper was hard to penetrate in this game. He made a few saves and maintained a clean sheet. Once again, Gurpreet proved that he is the best goalkeeper in India.
Harmanjot Khabra – 7
The Bengaluru Right back did an average job at the back and strengthened the three men defence.
Rahul Bheke – 7.5
As Usual, Bheke was much instrumental in the Bengaluru’s backline and he never allowed the Chennaiyin players to have the upper hand. He also possessed an offensive quality in this game and nearly found the net on one occasion.
Juanan – 7
The experienced Spanish Defender provided an on-par performance in this game. He committed few fouls but was rock solid at the back.
Ashique Kuruniyan – 7.5
The left wingback was electric in this match. Ashique was a little bit dirty in his tackles and removed the much vulnerable Thapa from the game. His runs and crosses on the left flank created many problems for the Chennai defenders.
Erik Paartalu – 7.5
The Big Australian Midfielder was a menace for the Chennai players. He simultaneously contributed to the team’s attack and defence.
Suresh Wangjam – 7.5
The young Indian sensation was absolutely at his best in this game. He made vital interceptions and regained the possession for his team.
Dimas Delgado – 8
The Spanish Midfielder was lethal in the field yesterday and by far the best performer in this game. Dimas was solid in midfield and made some clean tackles.
Cleiton Silva – 7.5
The Brazilian forward was excellent at the right-wing and he applied pressure on the Chennaiyin defenders. He also attempted a lot of shots to get the scoreboard ticking.
Deshorn Brown – 6.5
The Jamaican Striker once again didn’t shine as expected. Brown was invisible in the game and was substituted later.
Sunil Chhetri – 8
The Indian National team striker lead the team from the front and scored the winning goal of the game. Chhetri was exceptional at the front and was a consistent threat for CFC.
Substitutes:
Pratik Chaudhari – Unrated
He came from the bench at the very last moment. So, he can’t be rated.
Kristian Opseth – 6.5
Opseth came in as a replacement for Deshorn Brown in the second half and he followed the same suit as the former. His string of poor performances continues and is yet to make an impact in the ISL
Amay Morajkar – Unrated
Morajkar entered the field at the very last moment. So, he wasn’t rated.
Fran Gonzalez – Unrated
The defensive midfielder, Gonzalez came from the bench at the very last moment. So, he wasn’t rated.
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