On the 4th matchday of Hero Indian Super League season 7, Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC locked their horns at the GMC Bambolim Stadium, Goa where Odisha FC went down thanks to the only goal from their former man, Aridane Santana.
Hyderabad FC dominated from the very first minute both in terms of possesion and passing while the Juggernauts were left clueless till the final whistle was blown. From just 4th minute Santana’s bulging header went inches wide from the OFC goalpost while Arshdeep Singh displayed a couple of decent saves later. However during the 33rd minute while intercepting Halicharan Narzary inside the box, skipper Steven Taylor conceded a foul for intentional handball which was further converted to a goal by Aridane.
5 minutes into the second half, Marcelinho was substituted with Premjit Singh and Hyderabad kept on dominating the game. Both sides committed equal 18 number of fouls while Odisha players got booked 5 timed compared to Hyderabad’s one. Substitute player Liston Colaco made an impact in the game by performing some spectacular dribbles and taking some fine shots from distance. Towards the last quarter of the game, Diego Mauricio missed a clean chance and that was the last take for the Bhubaneswar based side to make a comeback.
Among Indian players apart from Liston, Halicharan Narzary was a treat to watch on the left wing with some skillful movements. Akash Mishra was often putting OFC wingers into trouble and veteran Subrata Pal managed to keep a clean sheet. From the other side, Nandha Kumar Sekhar was seen providing some deadly crosses and midfielder Thoiba Singh was seen attending a top speed of 32kmph during a dribble. Arshadeep Singh made some spectacular saves while Subham Sarangi and Gaurav Bora did well despite some reckless tackles that earned both of them a booking.
Aridane Santana was the Hero of the match and Liston Colaco was the Indian player of the game. Let’s see what ratings have been awarded (out of 10) to the players from both the sides.
Odisha FC
Arshdeep Singh – 7
Arshdeep’s presence between the bars was prominent as he didn’t concede any field goal and also made few great saves. The penalty was unfortunate that didn’t let him keep the clean sheet but his performance was worthy of a 7/10.
Shubham Sarangi – 7.5
The local lad of OFC was seen following the ball upto the offensive third and he was running tirelessly throughout the game. Hadn’t he been booked his rating would have been even higher.
Steven Taylor – 6.5
The Englishman didn’t deliver up to the level of expectation and moreover he conceded a penalty for handling the ball inside own box.
Gaurav Bora – 6.5
If we would be rating only based upon first half performances, Bora would have got atleast 8. However he committed a number of reckless tackles during the last two quarters and his late fall back once created an open space for Aridane Santana.
Hendry Antonay – 7
The young Indian was a big presence in Odisha’s backline. He made some good interceptions but was seen losing possesion quite a few times.
Thoiba Singh – 7
With a pace of 32kmph, Moirangthem Thoiba Singh was the fastest player in the game. However he was subbed off in the 66th minute due to some discomfort in muscles.
Saurabh Meher – 7
Meher though didn’t commit many mistakes he didn’t create any great chances either. He has been rated 7/10.
Nandha Kumar Sekhar – 8
The best Indian performer for Stuart Baxter’s side, Nandha made some good overlapping runs down the flank. He was also present during the defensive actions.
Marcelinho Pereira – 5.5
The biggest name from the Juggernauts always failed to keep the ball at his feet during his 53 minutes stay. He was taken off early.
Manuel Onwu – 7
We couldn’t find the Manuel Onwu of last season. Though the Spaniard created some chances, that was not enough to find the back of the net.
Diego Mauricio – 6
The former Flamengo forward missed the ball a couple of times inside the opponent box. His ratings are average only because of his profound defensive presence.
Substitutes:
Premjit Singh – 6
He was subbed on with the hope of equalising the 1 goal trail but he was always derailed from the momentum by Hyderabadi defenders.
Samuel Lalmuanpuia – 7
Samuel touched the ball after a gap of one full season, still he was good at tackling and also keeping the possession.
Hyderabad FC
Subrata Pal – 8
The veteran Indian custodian kept a clean sheet and he faced no trouble in denying the OFC strikers.
Asish Rai – 7
The young Indian defender was able to restrict the likes of Manuel Onwu and Diego Mauricio at many occasions.
Odei Onaindia – 7
The Spanish defender was not that prominent in the first half. But he made some spectacular challenges during the late second half that helped his team keep the margin.
Joao Victor – 6.5
Victor was a bit disappointing despite winning a duel with Nandha Kumar Sekhar. He has been rated average.
Akash Mishra – 7.5
The young defender was present almost everywhere on the pitch. He was seen carrying the ball to the opposition half.
Lluis Sastre – 7.5
Though none of his crosses were converted by any forward, Lluis Sastre’s dead ball craft earned a lot of recognition.
Hitesh Sharma – 6.5
Hitesh Sharma was not that active in the game though he played for 90 minutes. He has been rated 6.5/10.
Nikhil Poojari – 7
Aridane Santana was often seeing overlapping towards the right flank; as a result Poojary was a bit shadowed. Still he didn’t commit any serious mistakes and that earns him a 7.
Mohammad Yasir – 7.5
Yasir was seen responding to Lluis Sastre’s crosses very well as he also set up a few chances at the far post of OFC.
Halicharan Narzary – 8
With a huge display of skill and agility, Narzary was able to penetrate the opponent’s defence frequently. He also won a number of free kicks for his side.
Aridane Santana – 9
The scorer of the only goal, Santana seemed very composed in front of his former team. He was the hero of the match for his strong presence throughout the game.
Substitutes:
Liston Colaco – 8.5
After being subbed on past the hour mark, Liston was the player to watch out for till the game ended. His movements and physical ability in the last 30 minutes can be compared to any elite striker in the league. If he would have started the scoreline might have been different.
Laldanmawia Ralte – 7.5
Ralte managed a few good passes near the touchline and also was seen providing the ball to Liston regularly.
Adil Khan & Sahil Panwar – unrated due to less game-time
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