The battle between the favourites and the underdogs was a treat for fans, with the Highlanders defeating the Islanders 1-0. Mumbai City FC were looking solid at the start and absolutely dominated the game until Raynier Fernandes picked up an injury and Ahmed Jahouh was shown the red card for a reckless challenge.
Mumbai City lost the plot after that, as Northeast started finding their way into the match. Just minutes after the half-time Dylan Fox’s cross met Rowllin Borges’ arm and the home side was awarded a penalty, which was duly converted by Appiah.
While some players were impressive in the Mumbai side, many big names failed to prove their worth. On the other hand, there were quite a few surprise performers on the other side of the pitch. Let’s take a look at the ratings of the players on both the teams.
Northeast United FC
Sheer focus and discipline divided the two teams, and Northeast United, led by the young Gerard Nus, perfectly executed their plans. They didn’t wander off-position and gave Mumbai City few to none chances. The zero shots on target shows how well the defenders played and earned the team all three points.
Subhasish Roy Chowdhury – 7.5/10
The Northeast United goalkeeper got a clean sheet in his first game of the season. Although he wasn’t tested at all, as the Mumbai City strikers failed to register even one shot on target.
Ashutosh Mehta – 8/10
Mehta proved to be one of the crucial players in this match, as his resilient defending reduced the usage of the left flank by Mumbai. He was one of the best Indians players on the ground definitely.
Benjamin Lambot – 8.5/10
The Belgian centreback was pivotal for The Highlanders. His interceptions and blocks were in plenty and he kept the situation at bay by not making any glaring mistakes during the ninety minutes.
Dylan Fox – 9/10
The young Australian was very impactful in the victory today. Apart from winning the penalty for his team when his header caught the arm of Rowllin Borges, he defended meticulously throughout the match. Arguably, he was one of the best player in the match today.
Gurjinder Kumar – 7/10
Not too good, not too bad. That is how Gurjinder’s performance can be defined. He was average in the match, and his passing wasn’t up to mark as well. However, he was successful in helping the team get a cleansheet.
Lalrempuia – 7/10
Lalrempuia played his part in the first half. The 24 year midfielder was tight and didn’t make any mistakes.
Khassa Camara – 9/10
Camara was another player who played a huge role in the win. He was defending well, attacking well and acted as a colossal in the midfield. He was the main reason why Mumbai’s dangerous midfield couldn’t prosper.
Apuia – 7.5/10
Apuia didn’t disappoint as he made few mistakes and kept the opponents in check. He played a matured game and helped Northeast win the match.
Ninthoi – 6.5/10
Ninthoi was provided a chance by the coach and he was average. He didn’t create much chances and was wasteful of some good situations. However, he kept the ball progressing and didn’t give an easy time to the Mumbai defenders.
Kwesi Appiah – 8.5/10
Appiah didn’t have many chances to take his chances in front of the goal, but when he wa provided the penalty, he didn’t disappoint and converted it.
Luis Machado – 7/10
Machado’s performance was not glaringly poor, but he failed to live up to expectations. He was not successful in creating chances for the team, but like Ninthoi, he didn’t give the defenders an easy time.
Substitutes-
Federico Gallego – 7/10
Britto PM – 7/10
Idrissa Sylla – 6.5/10