I-League 2017/18: East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan, Player Ratings

Mohun Bagan romped past arch-rivals East Bengal in the Kolkata Derby held at the Salt Lake Stadium today. Khalid Jamil's men were handed a blow as early as in the 2nd minute when Dipanda Dicka scored from close range after being set-up beautifully by Mohun Bagan's latest signing Akram Moghrabi.

The Mariners continued to play a very convincing brand of attacking football and doubled their lead in the 35th minute courtesy of a stunning acrobatic finish from Dicka, who was rightfully adjudged Hero of the match for his stunning display in front of goal.

The result helped Mohun Bagan to within just three points away from East Bengal in the standings despite playing a game lesser. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at how players from both sides fared during the match:

East Bengal

Luis Barreto - 6/10

The East Bengal shot-stopper would feel lucky to have not conceded more on the night as he was let down by his teammates on a few occasions. Barreto could not do much to keep out two stunning shots from Dicka in the first half and never looked like coming close to stopping them.

Lalramchullova - 5/10

The full-back was kept on his toes for the majority of the game thanks to the overgrowing attacking instinct shown by the Bagan players on the night. Lalramchullova enjoyed very little while going forward and was pegged back to his own half for a long time.

Arnab Mondal - 4/10

The East Bengal skipper had a torrid start to the game and struggled to deal with the threat offered by Moghrabi and Dicka early on in the first half. Mondal was unable to keep the duo quiet and was taken off in the 50th minute in the name of a tactical tweak.

Eduardo Ferreira - 4/10

The Brazilian also struggled for large chunks of the game owing to the pace and physicality provided by the Bagan strikers, who ran riot inside East Bengal's final third. Ferreira was poor in terms of awareness and was caught napping on a few instances.

Salam Singh - 5/10

Salam Ranjan Singh could not offer anything more to the disappointing night for the Red and Golds and was made to work tirelessly to try and keep the Bagan attackers at bay. The defender would have enjoyed more going forward.

Prakash Sarkar - 4/10

The midfielder did not have the best of games through the middle of the park for the hosts who were completely steam-rolled by Watson and Fernandes in midfield. Sarkar was eventually taken off in the 42nd minute for Surabuddin Mollick.

Mohammed Rafique - 5/10

Rafique tried to make things happen for the hosts while going forward with a few daring runs but he had nothing to show for it and eventually faded off as the game progressed.

Mahmoud Al Amna - N/A

Picked up an injury in the 4th minute and was replaced by Bazie Armand.

Yusa Katsumi - 6/10

The former Mohun Bagan winger Katsumi Yusa was involved in the thick of the action whenever the Red and Golds pushed forward but he was let down by his teammates who failed to support him with the same level of determination.

Willis Plaza - 5/10

Plaza was denied a goal in the first half after the referee ruled it out when the ball went out of bounds during its flight from a well-worked corner by Katsumi. That was all for him on the night and he struggled to cause any real threat to Shilton Paul in the visitors' goal.

Dudu Omagbemi - 4/10

The striker failed to link-up with his teammates and it almost felt like he was a passenger up front who had zero service to work himself into key positions to try and nick a goal. Dudu capped off a disappointing night when his diving header drifted wide of the goal towards the end of the game.

Substitutes

Bazie Armand - 5/10

Armand was called into action very early due to the injury suffered by Al Amna and was even forced to play at left-back after the introduction of Cavin Lobo in place of Arnab Mondal. The midfielder was strong on the ball and also picked up a booking in the process.

Surabuddin Mollick - 5/10

The midfielder replaced Prakash Sarkar towards the end of the first half and could not make any significant impact in the game as Mohun Bagan took full control of the proceedings from there on.

Cavin Lobo - 6/10

Lobo was introduced in the 50th minute and showed signs of promise while going forward. The midfielder was constantly looking to try and knit a move together to help East Bengal get back into the game but it was not meant to be on the night.

Mohun Bagan

Shilton Paul - 7/10

Paul was commanding inside his own penalty area and pulled off a few good saves whenever he was called into action. The Mariners' custodian managed to keep a convincing clean sheet on derby day as well.

Arijit Bagui - 6/10

The full-back was solid in his approach throughout the game and did not hold himself back from standing up to the likes of Dudu and Katsumi over the course of the game. Bagui was confident on the ball and was determined to win it back if necessary.

Kingshuk Debnath - 8/10

Mohun Bagan's skipper had a game to remember at the heart of the defence for the visitors who managed to complete the league double over their arch-rivals in the league. Debnath was solid at the back and was flawless when it came to positioning and awareness at the back.

Kingsley Obumneme - 7/10

Kingsley complimented his partner at the back very well and was not shy of committing himself whenever required. The defender kept his concentration throughout the game and never looked like putting a foot wrong.

Ricky Lallawmawma - 6/10

The left-back enjoyed a relatively comfortable outing at the back thanks to East Bengal's inability to make things happen down on the left flank for the majority of the game. Ricky was comfortable with the ball and came out on top during a few one vs one situation.

Nikhil Kadam - 7/10

Kadam was involved at the heart of everything the Mariners tried to create in the game and was unlucky to not get a deserving goal towards the end of the game. The midfielder put in a stellar performance in his side's biggest game of the season.

Raynier Fernandes - 7/10

The midfielder was a real force to reckon with in midfield and continued to dominate the proceedings through the middle until the final whistle. Fernandes covered a lot of ground and worked tirelessly without showing any traces of fatigue.

Cameron Watson - 7/10

Watson impressed in midfield for the Mariners with his quick thinking and vision that helped him find pockets of space for his teammates inside the opposition's final third. The midfielder was neat and tidy in possession and was always looking to turn defence into attack.

Sheikh Faiaz - 6/10

The midfielder did well to support the players ahead of him by pushing forward whenever he had the opportunity. Faiaz was always eager to try and make things happen for his side and did well to contribute effectively to a complete team performance.

Akram Moghrabi - 8/10

Moghrabi enjoyed a dream debut for the Mariners in the derby and formed a formidable partnership with Dicka in front of goal. The duo combined effectively for the first goal and were unstoppable while going forward and Moghrabi was so close to grabbing his first goal for the club on a couple of instances.

Aser Pierrick Dipanda - 9/10

The striker was simply too good to handle for the East Bengal defenders who had a hard time keeping up with his pace and physicality. Dicka netted a brace and stood out as the Hero of the derby for the Mariners who desperately needed a result.

Substitutes

Shilton D'Silva - 6/10

The midfielder was introduced in the 71st minute in place of Raynier Fernandes in a bid to try and see off the game and his fresh legs in midfield provided just that to the visitors. D'Silva ensured that his team went past the finishing line without any casualties.

Rana Gharami - N/A

Came on in the 81st minute to replace Kingshuk Debnath.

Azharuddin Mallick - N/A

Came on in the 90th minute to replace Akram Moghrabi.