FC Pune City were held to a 1-1 draw in the ISL 2016 by the Kerala Blasters at the Balewadi Sports Complex yesterday. Cedric Hengbart put the visitors ahead in the third minute before Mohamed Sissoko equalized in the sixty-ninth minute. The game then picked up tempo and finished as an exciting draw, with a number of shots exchanged by both teams.
The Hrithik Roshan co-owned side opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Dramane Traore operating as the lone striker. In the absence of the suspended Eduardo Ferreira, Pune played with four Indian defenders, which was a first in the ISL this season. Kerala dominated possession, but were not sharp enough to create openings and were matched almost shot-for-shot by the hosts.
The following are player ratings from the game:
FC Pune
Apoula Edel: 8.5/10
He was his usual beastly self in goal today. Pulled off a stunning save in the second half against Farukh to keep the scores level. Needs to distribute better though.
Rahul Bheke: 6/10
Apart from a wild effort on goal that was way off target, Bheke’s contribution in the crucial moments of the game was at a bare minimum. He played out his tactical role well, though. He needs to learn how to maintain the line.
Dharmaraj Ravanan: 7/10
Had a solid outing, of the kind that will only add to his already burgeoning reputation within Indian football circles. He was tidy in possession and carried a no-nonsense approach while dealing with the Kerala attackers.
Gouramangi Singh: 8/10
Made his share of clearances and had a rather easy game, as Kerala’s large swathes of possession were restricted to slow moves. He was his usual assured self and turned in a confident performance.
Narayan Das: 7/10
Gave good support to his defensive partners and responded well to nearly all runs made by the Kerala attackers. Narayan was assured in his job today and gave in a praiseworthy stat-sheet by the end of the game.
Mohamed Sissoko: 8/10
He was Pune’s best player on the pitch. Apart from scoring the equalizer, Sissoko made things happen for Pune FC, taking the initiative to carry the ball into the forward areas and drawing defenders to himself.
Jonatan Lucca: 6.5/10
Today he was involved in a number of attacking moments, but failed to capitalize on the one clear-cut chance he had. Lucca was a livewire, however, and much of his off-the-ball work bore fruit for his team at both ends of the pitch.
Bruno Arias: 6/10
Bruno created a clear-cut chance for Lucca, which the Brazilian could not convert. He however, spent most of the game dealing with the Kerala threat and was an anonymous entity when it came to attacking play.
Dramane Traore: 6/10
Despite winning a lot of his duels, making runs with a high work rate and playing with a cool head, Traore failed to place a composed shot away from the keeper on target today. He has to improve to find the net regularly.
Arata Izumi: 5/10
Izumi turned in an unsatisfactory performance for the day, and the manager should not be too impressed by the shift he put in today. Conceded a needless corner in the closing stages.
Tato: 8/10
Despite not getting a deserved goal, Tato was excellent, especially with his hold-up play. His performance enabled Pune to carry a potent threat with every attack.
Substitutes
Momar Ndoye – N/A
Francis Fernandes – N/A
Kerala Blasters
Sandip Nandy: 6/10
Was unable to deal with the only shot that Pune managed on target. But Nandy showed good composure in playing Kerala out of a couple of soupy situations.
Sandesh Jhingan: 8.5/10
He put in a masterful display at right-back. Jhingan displayed all the composure in the world today as he served as Kerala’s possession control hub on their right wing in attack, and he was always to be found at the right positions defensively.
Cedric Hengbart: 8/10
Apart from scoring the opener, Hengabart was also in good nick today. While he faced a lot of pain in covering for Tato, the Frenchman proved equal to the task for the most part.
Aaron Hughes: 8/10
Had a busy day in office as he expertly cleared all Pune attacks from his end. Hughes has laid down a marker as one of the ISL’s elite defenders this season.
Josue Currais: 7/10
He kept the Kerala possession game ticking, making alert runs and circulating possession as needed. Showed little to no threat of scoring a goal, however.
Azrack Mahamat: 7/10
He had a bang average game, unremarkable in every aspect except the consistency of his passing. A solid display.
Mehtab Hossain: 8/10
He was the busiest member of the Kerala midfield, buzzing up and down the field to help out each play. He was primarily responsible for Kerala’s domination of possession.
Mohammed Rafique: 7.5/10
As the rest of the Kerala midfield, Rafique had a good game. But there was little to no end product in his game from open play.
Michael Chopra: 7/10
Despite his lack of pace, Chopra had a decent game today. Displayed a number of technical aspects of his game that set him apart.
Duckens Nazon: 7/10
He had a good game, but he has the potential to create better chances on the counterattack. Missed out on a few chances to break.
Mohammed Rafi: 6.5/10
Although he was present in Kerala’s attacks, he could not stamp his authority on the Pune defense. Had just one tame effort on target throughout the game.
Substitutes -
Farukh Choudhary: 5/10
Farukh put in an energetic performance, getting involved in a gilded opportunity soon after coming on. More minutes will show how good he really is.
Dider Kadio – N/A
Antonio German – N/A
