I-League 2017/18: East Bengal v Minerva Punjab - Player Ratings

East Bengal took on Minvera Punjab in a very crucial fixture in the context of the I-League. If Minerva won, they would have essentially claimed the league title. However, the home team rallied to stage a brilliant comeback and managed to draw the match.

Here, we take a closer look at how the players performed:

East Bengal

The Red and Golds were really struggling going into the break, but they came back strongly in the second half and finished the game with a huge share of ball possession amounting up to 69%.

East Bengal piled up intense pressure in the second half and were deservedly rewarded with two goals to eke out one point through Joby Justin and Brandon Vanlalremdika.

Ubaid (8/10): The Kerala Lad had an impressive debut with East Bengal with few crucial saves in the first half.

Deepak Kumar (7.5/10): The youngster had a tough day on the field as he was given a run for his money by Opoku, Sukhdev and Chencho on numerous occasions.

Salam Ranjan Singh (7/10): Singh had an average outing and was slow in his back-tracking abilities. He also played several wrong passes.

Mehtab Singh (6/10): The youngster was substituted in the second half due to his poor defensive performance which resulted in two early goals.

Bazie Armand (7/10): Bazie leaked possession way too cheaply on several occasions but put in a great shift today going forward.

Eduardo Ferreira (8.5/10): The Brazilian defender was at his best with timely interceptions and proved his superiority in the aerial battles.

Katsumi Yusa (8/10): The Japanese missed a crucial spot-kick but was on song throughout the second half.

Cavin Lobo (7.5/10): Lobo was appointed the captain today and delivered some accurate long balls into the box but it did not garner any positive result.

Laldanmawia Ralte (8/10): The Mizo Striker was brilliant on the right flank with fiery crosses which troubled the Minerva side throughout the game.

Dudu Omagbemi (4.5/10): The Nigerian had a poor day on the field with no positive move whatsoever.

Joby Justin (8.5/10): The Kerala Lad scored a brilliant header from a corner and was a menace for the Minerva defence with his quick runs.

Substitutes

Kromah (5/10): The substitute came on in the first half and was poor as well on the lines of Dudu Omagbemi.

B. Vanlalremdika (9/10): The young forward came late into the game and scored in no time to make the scoreboard level.

M. Rafique (N/A): Rafique came late into the game and did not get enough time on the ball.

Chencho doubled Minerva's Lead.

Minerva Punjab

The league leaders were on top in the first half with their patient build-up and incisive passing. Sukhdev Singh and Chencho put the visitors ahead in the first half, courtesy of a poor defensive performance from the hosts. However, they looked completely different in the second half as they hardly got any chance to threaten East Bengal.

Kiram Limbu (9/10): The Nepali Shot-stopper was adjudged the 'Hero of the Match' as he made several saves in the second half and did not allow East Bengal to take the lead.

Eric Dano (8/10): Dano was a 'rock' at the back with his terrific tackles and aerial clearances.

Deepak Devrani (7/10): Devrani kept the East Bengal forwards at bay in the first half but was completely out of his usual form in the second half.

Kamalpreet Singh (6.5/10): The 20-year old defender had a poor outing as he could not contain Joby Justin throughout the match due to the latter's pacy runs.

Bali Gagandeep (7.5/10): Bali Gagandeep held the midfield brilliantly with his quick release of the ball and tracking back abilities.

Sukhdev Singh (8.5/10): Sukhdev capitalised on a half chance and gave Minerva the lead. He was a threat throughout the first half for East Bengal.

Amandeep Singh (8/10): Amandeep had a good game and partnered well with Opoku in the midfield.

William Opoku (8/10): Opoku's passing abilities and quick vision troubled East Bengal throughout the game.

Souvik Das (7/10): Souvik Das struggled and gave up possession way too cheaply in the midfield.

Kassim Aidara (7.5/10): Kassim troubled East Bengal on numerous occasions with powerful shots and tested the keeper time to time.

Chencho Gyeltshen (8.5/10): The Bhutanese made the lead 0-2 with a calm, composed finish and was a threat to the East Bengal back four throughout the match.

Substitutes

A. Ambekar (7/10): Ambekar replaced Chencho and carried out some positive moves later in the second half.

L. Bei (N/A): He came late into the game and did not get enough time on the ball.

A. Sayed (N/A): He was brought on too late, just to kill time.