FC Goa
Subashish Roy Chowdhury (GK) – 6/10
The Indian goalkeeper was rarely tested but did well when called upon. It was a far cry from his nervous performance in the previous game, although a bit of concern remains from set-pieces. He positioned himself well for every shot and set-piece, calmly handling things, resulting in a solid backline ahead of him.
Raju Gaikwad – 7/10
He picked up an award after the end of the game and it was fully deserved. Gaikwad easily switched from the full back position to a 3-man central defence with ease and did not put a foot wrong, except for a nervous clearance from a cross that ricocheted off his body in the second half.
Gregory Arnolin – 7.5/10
The Goan captain put in a typically superb performance, bullying Deigo Forlan and ensuring that the Uruguayan had a quiet game. Arnolin controlled the Goan backline well after switching to a 3-man defence, making numerous important clearances and distributing the ball well from deep.
Rafael Dumas – 6.5/10
The Brazilian was a bit nervous after the switch to the 3-man defence. Dumas was turned a couple of times by Defederico but was bailed out by his teammates. He did look composed later on in the second half.
Keenan Almeida – 6.5/10
The Indian right-back had a fantastic battle with Ralte down the flanks. It was a see-saw game for him, as he threatened going forward with a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, but was also sometimes outmuscled by Ralte, which ended a couple of promising positions.
Richarlyson – 8.5/10
Even before the goal, the Brazilian was superb in midfield, absolutely bossing things. After the switch to a 3-5-2 formation, Richarlyson went to the left-wing back position and made merry, using his physique and technique to trouble the Mumbai defence. His goal in the 41st minute was superbly timed and finished with a lovely controlled finish, making it look easy that it actually was.
Trindade Goncalves – 7/10
Trindade has been a real find for FC Goa in midfield. The Brazilian could have had a much higher rating if not for his selfishness. Trindade made a couple of storming runs into the box, but when the position called for a cutback or a cross, he opted to shoot. However, he was full of running in midfield, also distributing the ball well.
Pratesh Shirodkar – 5/10
The Indian midfielder was quite combative in midfield but gave away possession often with some sloppy passing. He also collected a foolish yellow card and was fortunate that his midfield partners bailed him out.
Julio Cesar – 9/10
Julio Cesar was FC Goa’s best player on the night – he provided a superb assist for Goa’s opener, and should have had two assists, heading the ball down to Robin Singh early in the second half. The Brazilian sent in some delicious set-pieces and went close to scoring himself in the 88th minute.
Robin Singh – 5.5/10
Robin Singh produced his typically bruising, frustrating performance, but perhaps that is what makes the Indian striker. He missed a great chance to duble Goa’s lead early in the second half, mishitting a ball from 4 yards out. He followed that up with a foolish yellow, picked up when he needlessly got involved with Ashutosh Mehta from a corner.
Joffre – 6.5/10
The Spaniard was unusually quiet in the final third but did keep the game flowing. He was pushed wide for much of the game and sent in a couple of tempting crosses from the left in the first half, but as he tired was wayward with his deliveries, resulting in him being substituted in the 79th minute.
Substitutes
Mandar Rao Desai (75’) – 5/10
The Indian youngster had a promising run down the right which resulted in a cross to an offside Julio Cesar but did not do much else, as he only had 15 minutes to get into the game.
Debabrata Roy (71’) – 4/10
He was brought on to replace a tiring Keenan Almeida on the flanks but was unable to prevent Mumbai from sending in a couple of dangerous crosses from the wings.
Lucio (79’) – NA
Came on late to shore things up and the Brazilian spent too little time on the pitch to warrant a rating
