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The two blues of South India faced off against each other at the Shree Krantirava Stadium, as Bengaluru FC hosted Chennaiyin FC. Both the teams came into the game being separated by just three points. Bengaluru wanted three points to move up to the top of the table, while Chennaiyin wanted the three points to draw level on points with league leaders FC Goa.
The game started off in a bright manner with Chennaiyin taking the lead within the opening six minutes of the game through a Jeje snapshot from seven yards out, which beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu by sheer pace and power.
The second half started with Bengaluru showing more urgency in attack, BFC nearly equalised in the opening minutes of the second half only to see their star striker Sunil Chhetri make a hash of things in front of goal. The Bengaluru skipper did equalise in the 85th minute, only to see his side let in another goal in the 89th minute to lose the game 2-1.
Chennaiyin defeated Bengaluru 2-1 with goals from Jeje and Dhanpal Ganesh winning the tie for the side from Tamil Nadu as Sunil Chhetri pulled one back for the side from Bangalore.
On that note, let's take a look at how the players performed during the match.
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh Sandu (6/10): Gurpreet returned to the squad after serving a two-match ban, and didn’t look very convincing. Given his stature, he could have done more to save the first goal which went through his elbow, despite getting a fist to it. He also could have done better during the second goal. But Gurpreet did make a good double save from Raphael Agusto's double effort.
Harmanjot Singh Khabra (7/10): Khabra was everywhere. He was the BFC defender who gave the Chennaiyin attackers the most difficult time. Some may argue that he should have seen a second yellow, but all said and done Khabra did what the gaffer asked him to do.
John Johnson (6/10): John Johnson was not his usual self on the night. He looked shaky and confused in certain situations. His clearance and covering were also not up to the mark.
Rahul Bheke (6.5/10): Rahul was the better of the two centre-backs for Bengaluru, as he tried to keep the likes of Jeje and Raphael Augusto quiet. Rahul also was a threat for Chennaiyin during set pieces.
Nishu Kumar (6/10): Nishu started an ISL game for the first time, but wasn’t very impressive, given the expectations on him. He did keep Francis quiet but wasn’t very good going forward.
Lenny Rodrigues (6/10): Lenny had the job of keeping a check on the likes of Raphael, and wasn’t very impressive in keeping a check on the Chennaiyin midfielders.
Toni Dovale (7.5/10): Toni was one of the best midfielders for Bengaluru. He provided the all-important assist for Sunil Chhetri. He also did his offensive and defensive duties well and was the main creator of chances for Bengaluru.
Edu Garcia (7/10): He came closest to equalising for Bengaluru in the first half. Edu did his best in creating chances and running after second balls. He also did a good job in getting past the likes of Dhanpal and Bikramjit.
Sunil Chhetri (7/10): Sunil had a bittersweet game. He did score the all-important equaliser, but he also missed some sitters. He was also poor while tracking back and it was his deflection that helped Jeje score the first goal.
Dimas Delgado (7/10): Dimas tried hard to create some good openings in the Chennaiyin defence but wasn’t very successful at it. His distribution to wasn’t up to the mark either.
Miku (5.5/10): Was Miku even playing today? That will be a question a lot of the fans would be asking. He was rarely seen with the ball and had a torrid time getting past Mailson and Sereno. Miku would want to forget this game as soon as possible and get back to his scoring ways.
Chennaiyin FC
Karanjit Singh (6.5/10): Karanjit made some good saves, especially the one that he flicked over the post from a Sunil Chhetri header. Karanjit also seemed to have improved his positioning and gripping which was a big boost for Chennaiyin.
Inigo Calderon (6.5/10): Inigo did a good job in keeping Sunil Chhetri quiet. He did tough let the Indian national team captain slip in through the flanks a couple of times. Calderon also had a defensive approach to the game, due to which we didn’t see him move up in attack often.
Henrique Sereno (7.5/10): Sereno was brilliant for Chennaiyin today. The ISL winner with ATK had a superb game and kept the likes of Miku and Braulio quiet for most parts of the game. He also was a handful for the BFC defence while going forward during set pieces.
Mailson Alves (8/10): Mailson put in a sublime performance. He was the main man tasked with keeping Miku the free-scoring striker in check and did his duties with conviction.
Jerry Lalrinzuala (6.5/10): Jerry did a good job keeping the likes of Khabra and Edu Garcia at bay. He also provided ample support for Jude while going forward which gave the winger ample opportunity to create some openings in the BFC defence.
Dhanpal Ganesh (8/10): Dhanpal has been brilliant so far in the ISL. It was poetic justice of sorts for Chennaiyin as they had a local Chennai lad score the winner for them. Dhanpal was a towering presence in the middle of the park, as he won almost all second balls and was never shy from going into a tackle.
Bikramjit Singh (6.5/10): He was the perfect support for Dhanpal and Raphael in the midfield. He played the supporting role to perfection as he moved to the flanks and tracked back whenever required. If he had a better pass completion rate his ratings too would have increased.
Francis Fernandes (7/10): Francis was not brilliant offensively, but was very tight while defending. The way he tracked back and helped Calderon check the likes of Chhetri is really worthy of praise.
Raphael Augusto (7.5/10): Stepovers, layoffs, and cheeky touches! Raphael had everything up his sleeves. He controlled the midfield with a certain aura about himself. It was only after he was substituted that Bengaluru started getting more chances.
Jude Nworuh (6/10): Even though Jude did a lot of running, he couldn’t provide quality deliveries into the box. He was also found to be going to ground a lot easier which broke down a lot of Chennai attacks.
Jeje (7.5/10): Jeje showcased it again why he is called the best Indian poacher, as the Mizo Sniper buried a half chance with sheer power. He also gave the likes of John Johnson and Rahul Bheke a torrid time with his clever runs.
