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The inaugural edition of the Super cup kicked off today, in Bhubaneswar with a bang as relegated I league side Churchill Brothers stunned ISL side Delhi Dynamos in the first qualifier. Northeast United FC faced I league giant killers Gokulam Kerala in the 2nd Qualifier.
Northeast United FC finished rock bottom in the ISL, while Gokulam had a late surge and finished 7th in the league table. The game was poised to be an exciting game as it was a one-game knockout and both sides wanted to end their footballing seasons by playing in the final rounds of the super cup.
The first half started off in a cagey affair as both the teams didn’t want to concede early on in a knockout tie. The game started seeing more openings as both the teams settled down and looking to build up play after the initial 15 minutes. The first half ended with Gokulam Kerala leading Northeast United 1-0 through a brilliant Henry Kisekka shot.
Gokulam took control of the game in the second half and extended their lead through Kisekka and made sure that the Highlanders end their season without qualifying for the Super Cup. The final scoreboard read 2-0 in favour of Gokulam Kerala as they became the second team to beat an ISL team in the Super Cup qualifiers.
On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings of today’s game
Northeast United FC
TP Rehenesh (6/10): Rehenesh made two crucial saves, but did look shaky on a couple of occasions. He looked out of position in a couple of instances. His distribution was also very poor.
Nirmal Chhetri (5.5/10): Chhetri had was beaten by Arun and Provat on a number of occasions, he also had problems with his passes and was often caught in between a melee of players.
Jose Goncalves (6/10): Jose looked shaky in defence as he had few problems covering the Kerala attackers. He did though make some crucial blocks and clearances. He was caught ball watching when the second goal was scored.
Sambinha (5.5/10): Sambinha had more than a few problems keeping in check Henry Kisekka as he ran past him on a couple of occasions. He mostly kept running after shadows when Kerala were attacking.
Robert Lalthalmuana (6/10): Robert had a couple of problems keeping in check the likes of Salman K and Kisekka. He also committed some silly fouls which didn’t help his side at all.
Rowlin Borges (5/10): Rowlin hasn’t been having the best of seasons. He looked a shade below his usual self. His passing was poor and often gifted possession to Gokulam.
Lalrempuia Fanai (6.5/10): Fanai had very little to do in the first half but looked to complete most of his passes and he also made a crucial interception to stop Musa from scoring. He did do a good job in sitting ahead of the defence and providing them with an extra layer of protection.
Lalrindika Ralte (6/10): Ralte scored an offside goal in the initial moments of the game. He also looked to rush into the tackle which got him booked early on in the game. He did play some good passes, but often gifted possession to Gokulam while trying to play the fancy ball forward.
Danilo Lopez (5/10): Danilo looked lively in the initial stages of the game, but later on hardly had touches of the ball and missed a sitter during the ending minutes of the game.
Halicharan Narzary (5.5/10): Missed an absolute sitter in the first match as he somehow failed to shoot or get the ball into the net with just the net at his mercy. He did though make some good runs down the left flank.
Marcinho (6/10): Marcinho was closely kept in check by the Gokulam defenders and midfielders and was hardly given any space to work his way. He did have an attempt at goal but Nikhil Bernard saved it.
Gokulam Kerala FC
Nikhil Bernard (7.5/10): Nikhil had a good game, as he looked confident and calm while handling difficult situations also. He some two brilliant saves from a Len header and Marcinho shot. His outing and punching were also very good.
Emmanuel Chigozie (6.5/10): Emmanuel had a good game and kept the likes of Marcinho, Danilo and Lenn in check. He also had a commanding aerial presence during set pieces.
Daniel Addo (7/10): Addo made some brilliant clearances and anticipations.His tackling was also very good and he was the main reason why Marcinho was so ineffective today.
Provat Lakhra (7/10): Provat made numerous runs down the flanks, and looked dangerous on the counter and also tracked backed well to keep Danilo in check.
Md. Irshad (6.5/10): Irshad was good tonight as he worked very hard to keep Holicharan in check. He also made sure that the National team winger didn’t get many crosses into the box. The good thing about Irshad was that he did well to cover his tracks even after being beaten.
Mudde Musa (7.5/10): Musa was simply brilliant as he completely owned the midfield today. He was brilliant while defending and was razor sharp in attack. He hit the woodwork in the first half through a venomous strike and is unlucky to not have his name on the scoresheet.
Md. Al-Ajmi (6.5/10): Al-Ajmi did his job quietly in the middle of the park. His passes were neat and crisp and he went about his job of anticipating and blocking NEUFC passing channels with relative ease. Al-Ajmi though did look a bit out of shape and looks to have a few fitness issues.
Rashid Khan (7/10): The man who did most of the dirty work for Gokulam in middle of the park was Rashid Khan. He seldom gave the NEUFC attackers and midfielders much space in final third and was often seen lunging into tackles to get the ball back for Gokulam.
Arun Jayaraj (8/10): The young lad was brilliant as he runs down the flanks kept the NEUFC defenders on their toes. His biggest quality today was his ability to cut both ways in and out. It was his brilliant run and pass that set up the second goal. He could have got a goal for himself too had he not skied a brilliant chance.
Salman K (7/10): Salman was another of the Gokulam players who worked his socks off. His best trait today was the way he tracked back to help out his defenders. He also looked to make some clever runs down the flanks which opened up spaces for Henry down the middle.
Henry Kisekka (9/10): Henry Kisekka proved it again today, why he is considered as of the best foreign singing in the I league. He literally made a joke of the NEUFC defenders and scored a brace. His first goal was a beauty as he beat Rehenesh from a difficult angle and showcased his finishing skills to the fullest.
