FC Pune City faced an in-form NorthEast United FC at the Belawadi Stadium, Pune. While the hosts won their last game against FC Goa 2-1, the visitors were vying to resurrect their journey, coming off a 1-0 defeat against Mumbai City FC.
The match started on a positive note and was played at a brisk pace. After end-to-end play not creating a lot of opportunities in the first half, the break brought the much needed impetus in both the teams. At the final whistle, NorthEast United went into the tunnel victorious, courtesy an Emiliano Alfaro goal.
Here, we take a look at the players’ ratings based on the match.
FC Pune City
Edel Bete: 7/10
The goalkeeper was a real presence under the bar. Confident and inspiring, the two-time ISL winner proved yet again why he’s one of the most sought after keepers in India. Bete made a few important saves and was good at distribution. Ultimately, he didn’t have much to do in the goal.
Ravanan: 8/10
Ravanan was fast and compact in defence. The player played the right-side of a three-man defence and performed his duties well. He kept Nicolas Velez silent for long phases of the game, whenever he played the left wing. Ravanan also didn’t allow Holicharan Narzary too much freedom either.
Gourmangi Singh: 6/10
The former Indian defender showed a lot of experience manning the Pune defence. The player who originated from NorthEast India did allow a little space to Nicolas Velez, but eventually kept things tight. Playing at the left side of the three man defence, Gourmangi looked fit and fast and coordinated well with Adinga.
Soares Ferreira: 6/10
The cornerstone of Pune’s defence, the strong defender showcased all of his abilities, keeping most of NorthEast attacks at bay. Showing enough muscle and reading of the game, Perreira ensured that Edel Bete didn’t have to do too much throughout the game. The second yellow card was debatable, as the challenge did not look too threatening.
Zodingliana Ralte: 6/10
Playing as a make-shift wing-back in the 3-5-2 formation, Ralte had an impressive match. The Shillong Lajong player performed both his offensive and defensive duties well and kept the likes of Katsumi Yusa and Nirmal Chhetri silent for most of the match.
Lenny Rodrigues: 7/10
Lenny Rodrigues showed signs of his former self and why he was regarded as the best Indian box-to-box midfielder at a certain time in the past. The Pune City midfielder linked well with captain Sissoko and created chances at will for his attacking team-mates. Playing as a wing-back in the 3-5-2 formation, Rodrigues played most of the match in close association with Sissoko.
Mohammad Sissoko: 8/10
The captain had a memorable night. Playing just ahead of his defence, he linked up play brilliantly and saw a lot of ball throughout the match. Sissoko was a massive presence in the middle of the park and shielded his defence well. The former Liverpool and Juventus player played a lot of balls in the attacking third, finding players with consummate ease. The skipper switched play often and was one of the best players on the pitch.
Francis Fernandes: 7/10
Francis Fernandes played a good game today. The winger created a lot of opportunities and played a lot of balls into the opposition box, which created a lot of flutter for Subrata Paul and co. The former Salgaocar and Delhi Dynamos player took on Shouvik Ghosh and breezed past him a couple of times. He also linked well with Lenny and Sissoko.
Lucca: 6/10
Jonathan Lucca had an average game, in terms of his lofty standards. The Brazilian played as a number 10 behind Tato and Anibal and linked-up well with his team-mates, but couldn’t conjure anything noteworthy. The former AS Roma and FC Goa player tried hard to create chances, only to fall short on a number of occasions.
Jesus Tato: 7/10
The Spanish front-man joined hands with Anibal to take the goal-scoring responsibilities for the Antonio Habas-coached side. Playing at a brisk pace, the player looked a little jaded and often drifted towards the right side of the pitch. However, he still made some attacking runs in the final third which posed problems for the opposition defence.
Anibal Zurdo: 5/10
Anibal linked up well with Jonathan Lucca, Tato and Sissoko throughout the match, but did little as the main striker. The Mexican needs to convert or at least take more chances on goal to become the person who his team looks at to do the goal-scoring.
Substitutes:
Arata Izumi: 5/10
Izumi played a good game after coming on and gave every opportunity and space for Tato to create chances. He shifted from the left wing to the centre to accommodate the attacking winger. Despite not having as good a game as last time around, Izumi still had a decent outing.
Sanju Pradhan: 4/10
The former East Bengal winger tried a lot of attacking runs and linked well with both Sissoko and Jonathan Lucca, but was not very effective. With diminished speed, Pradhan did not look to be as incisive as he’s known to be.
Traore: 4/10
The striker didn’t have much time to affect proceedings but should’ve converted a superb cut-in from Taco late into the second half.
NorthEast United FC
Subrata Paul: 7.5/10
Subrata wasn’t really called into action often on the night. The former Indian goalkeeper had another calm and composed shift under the bar. Showing loads of experience in coordinating with his defence, Subrata Paul showed yet again why he’s rated so highly in the sub-continent.
Nirmal Chettri: 5/10
Nirmal Chettri was having a good match until the red card. The former Indian right-back made a clumsy challenge on Mexican striker Anibal and earned a red card in the 35th minute. The defender was not at his best and merits just a 5 rating.
Gustavo Lazzaretti: 7/10
The Argentine proved yet again why he can keep Mailson Alves on the bench. A commendable match at the back, the defender covered the back-line confidently and formed an almost unbreakable partnership with captain Didier Zokora.
Didier Zokora: 8/10
The captain had a confident shift and played well as a make-shift centre-back, yet again. With Romaric and Rowlin Borges playing in the centre of the park, the former Ivory Coast international showed his versatility and ensured Nelo Vingada another clean-sheet.
Shouvik Ghosh: 7/10
The left-back had to do a lot of work defensively to keep the likes of Tato and later, Sanju Pradhan at bay. The Bengal defender made a lot of important interceptions and had an impressive match, with no mistake to his name.
Rowlin Borges: 7/10
The Goa player had a good game in the middle of the pitch. Linking well with Romaric, the tall-and-skinny player shielded his defence well and was calm throughout the game, except for a little debate with Tato in the first half. A confident performance in the end.
Holicharan Narzary: 6.5/10
Holicharan Narzary was one of the brighter players for NorthEast United in the first half. The Shillong Lajong winger tried creating a lot of chances in the first half of the game and linked-up play well with Romaric and Yusa. Narzary was substituted to give the NorthEast defence the much needed shape and stability after Nirmal’s red card.
Romaric: 8/10
The unquestionable leader in the middle for the Highlanders, the former Sevilla centre-half showed his quality with a brilliant performance as an orchestral link. Apart from coordinating play impeccably well, Romaric also attacked with vigor and always looked for a run into the open spaces. The former Copa Del Rey winner also played the key pass which resulted in the goal.
Katsumi Yusa: 7/10
The Japanese put in another commendable performance in both halves of the pitch. Playing at right-wing, the Mohun Bagan player slotted in at right-back to fill in for Nirmal Chettri to secure his team’s defence. He showed good reading of the game and linked well with the strikers and the center-halves according to the situation.
Nicolas Velez: 8/10
The top scorer of last season for the Highlanders has been showing his value throughout, and did that tonight yet again. Tireless in running at defenders and happy to assist his defence in times of need, Nicolas Velez ran a lot and created a lot of opportunities for his striker, Alfaro. Brilliant on the pitch, the diminutive winger played his heart out and showed why he’s so loved by the NorthEast fans.
Emiliano Alfaro: 8/10
The striker burned a lot of grass on the pitch and was the best player on the field by a margin. Playing as a solo striker against 4 defenders, Emiliano Alfaro worked hard on the pitch and kept the opposition defenders on their toes throughout the match. The striker had some luck on his goal, but thoroughly deserved it. Alfaro sits atop the goal rankings for now, having scored three times in ISL 2016.
Substitutes:
Raegan Singh: 6/10
Raegan didn’t have much to do with the opposition wingers looking a little tired and had a calm game for the time he was on the pitch. The diminutive full-back played well and gave Katsumi and Nicolas Velez much needed freedom on the right wing.
Wellington Priori: NA
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