NorthEast United once again conceded a goal in the dying moments of the game as Nelo Vingada continued his winless streak with a 1-1 draw against Atletico de Kolkata.
Nicolas Velez gave the visitors the lead right in the 5th minute of the game and they held on to it till the 90th minute. But Kolkata’s Iain Hume scored the equaliser in the last minute of regulation time to spoil NorthEast’s party and put another dent in The Highlander’s hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
Also read: ISL 2016: Atletico de Kolkata 1-1 NorthEast United - 5 talking points
Here are the player ratings for the match.
Atletico de Kolkata
Debjit Majumder – 8/10
The Kolkata goalkeeper in a way was also the saviour for the team as he denied NorthEast United’s top scorer Emiliano Alfaro at least two goals. The first of the major chances for Alfaro came in the 72nd minute when a cross from Yusa found the Uruguayan in the box. But Debjit was just in place to deny him his sixth goal.
The same thing happened again 10 minutes later when a deflection served Alfaro another chance on the platter. But this time too, somehow the goalkeeper managed to be in the right place.
Luck surely had a lot to play as Majumder impressed the home crowd with his performance.
Henrique Fonseca Sereno – 6.5/10
Sereno was one of the most clinical defenders for Atletico de Kolkata. The blot on him, however, would be the goal which Kolkata conceded right in the beginning of the match as it was his poorly timed pass that yielded the goal for NorthEast.
But his performance overall was quite impressive as he tried making up for the mistake he committed. Not only did he guard the post well but also time and again went ahead and pressed, creating trouble for the visitors.
Prabir Das – 6.5/10
Defender Prabir Das had quite a decent game as he was quite impressive with his runs on the right flank.
But what did not go down well for him was his attacking intentions. There was nothing wrong in it for him, but his runs often compromised the defensive wall of Kolkata and gave NorthEast United space to attack.
Arnab Mondal – 6/10
Arnab Mondal too displayed a satisfactory performance in defence. Playing at the centre back position, Mondal made two crucial interceptions. He, however, committed two fouls that led to free kicks in dangerous areas. His affinity to slide and his rash tackles took away a significant chunk from his score.
Robert Lalthlamuana – 6.5/10
The Mizo defender was probably the most impressive ATK player in the backline. His performance might not be that visible, but NorthEast’s supply chain from the right was contained to a large extent by this player. His positional play denied Nicholas Velez and Yusa space to create chances up ahead.
Borja Fernandez - 7/10
Borja Fernandez was one of the key players for Kolkata with him being the driving force of the ATK supply chain. He can be characterised as the player with the most accurate and defence-splitting passes. In total, the player made 84 passes while he had one shot on target. With his game, he surely did keep the NorthEast United defence on their feet.
Stephen Pearson - 6/10
Pearson was the player assisting Fernandez in the midfield, but his performance was not as bright as the latter's. He displayed a very constrained performance as he easily caved into the NorthEast United defence set up. This was probably the reason why he was substituted in the 73rd minute.
Javier Lara Grande – 8/10
Javier Lara was hands down the best player for Kolkata and the biggest threat for NorthEast United. The Spanish player created six crucial crosses, fueling the Kolkata attack. He also made a handful of key interceptions and pushed the ball forward. And the best part, he could do this without committing a single foul. He surely was the player of the match for ATK.
Iain Hume – 7.5/10
The former Leicester City player wasn’t at his best tonight, but despite this, he had a more than satisfactory performance. The crucial equaliser in the last minute of regular time came off Hume and that probably writes off all the mistimed shots and crosses the Canadian player attempted in the match.
Lalrindika Ralte – 5/10
Lalrindika Ralte was the most disappointing player for ATK and no wonder he was substituted right at the start of the second half. Playing alongside Hume and Javier Lara, the Mizo player could not match up to their pace and often displayed lack of confidence while handling the ball.
Helder Postiga – 6.5/10
The marquee player of Kolkata could not make his presence felt tonight as he did in the reverse fixture against NorthEast. This was probably because NEUFC defenders gave no space to the Portuguese and had at least two players marking him all the time.
Substitutes
Abinash Ruidas – 6/10
Coming in place of Ralte, Abinash tried very hard. But owing to his short physique, he could not create as much impact as he was expected to.
Ofentse Nato - NA
Juan Belencoso - NA
NorthEast United
Subrata Pal – 6.5/10
After having a great start to the season, Subrata Pal once again failed to keep a clean sheet as NorthEast United conceded a late goal. Though the goalkeeper made some good saves, he almost gave away a goal from a Javier Lara corner kick in the 58th minute, only for Robin Gurung to make a goal line clearance.
His luck ran out eventually as he conceded a late goal to Iain Hume.
Robin Gurung – 7/10
Gurung made a fumbling start but picked up really well to steady his performance. Playing in the left back position, Gurung made that crucial goal line save and his presence was immensely missed when he had to be substituted in the 79th minute. Had he been there, NorthEast would probably have not conceded the goal.
Gustavo Lazzaretti – 6.6/10
Lazzaretti led the game tonight in the absence of Didier Zokora and he did his job quite well. Defensively, though, his performance wasn’t as great as his previous matches. It seems like fatigue has got into the player who also had to be substituted in the dying moments of the game.
Mailson Alves – 6.6/10
Lazzaretti’s fellow country mate Mailson Alves too had a satisfactory performance. But there wasn’t any exceptional spark in his game on the night.
Nirmal Chettri – 7/10
Left Back Nirmal Chettri performed the best amongst the NEUFC defenders with him sealing ATK’s right flank. Apart from performing his defensive duties, Chettri when required, also moved ahead and supported Yusa and Seityasen Singh.
Rowllin Borges – 7.5/10
Playing in the holding position, Rowllin once again was one of the stars for NorthEast United as he consistently marked players, intercepted balls and fed balls to Yusa and Velez.
Romaric – 6/10
The problem with Romaric is that he is slow. So despite being in the right positions, he could easily be dispossessed and his runs weren’t good enough to threaten the defence. Also, he really needs to check his heavy first touches as it breaks the flow of short passes.
Katsumi Yusa – 6/10
Yusa had a good game. But he is one player who can have a brilliant game. Though he was running around the ground, taking set pieces, his presence in the game wasn’t felt as much as it was in the last couple of matches.
Seityasen Singh – 6/10
Last match’s goal scorer too could not impress much against Kolkata as he was largely ineffective on the left flank, though he was later forced to change positions with Nicolas Velez
Nicolas Velez – 8/10
Scoring his first goal of the tournament, Velez finally lived up to the expectations as he kept himself busy in the opposition box. Velez looked steady today and he showed it in the goal he scored. He was also often seen playing back, performing his defensive duties and helping the team.
Emiliano Alfaro – 7.5/10
Making his comeback after serving a one-match suspension, Alfaro once again got back the spark in the NorthEast United offensive line. The thing about him is that he pushes hard and makes others do so too. It’s a surprise that he could not convert the chances he got.
Substitutes
Wellington – 5/10
Wellington came on late in the game but could not influence proceedings
Didier Zokora – NA
Ghosh – NA
