ISL 2017/18: Match 62, FC Pune City vs Kerala Blasters FC, Player Ratings

Kerala Blasters FC Pune City
Emiliano Alfaro equalizes for FC Pune City

Match 62 of the Hero Indian Super League saw FC Pune City host Kerala Blasters FC at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi, Pune.

The home side began the game in the third spot in the ISL standings with 22 points from their twelve matches so far. Kerala Blasters FC, on the other hand, were in the bottom half in the seventh spot with 17 points from their thirteen matches in the season.

Kerala Blasters pulled off a late win in Pune as CK Vineeth scored a late goal from a long-range effort in the 93rd minute. Jackichand Singh had given Kerala the lead before the hour mark with a great goal from outside the box but Emiliano Alfaro put the teams on level terms with a penalty.

FC Pune City misses the chance to go atop the table with the loss but Kerala moves up to the fifth spot in the table with 20 points in their tally from 14 matches.

FC Pune City

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FC Pune City equalized in the 79th minute

Vishal Kaith (5/10) - Vishal Kaith had a busy night on the pitch as the incessant Kerala attackers badgered his goal. He was beaten with a superb effort by Jackichand before the hour mark that gave Kerala the lead. He was on the end of another scintillating shot as Vineeth beat him at the death to secure the win for Kerala Blasters.

Sarthak Golui (5.5/10) - The young defender had a good night as he kept Kerala left winger Prashanth K in check. He made some runs on the flank and combined well with the midfielders.

Rafa Lopez (6/10) - The Spanish defender was a rock in the defense as he dealt with the threat of Hume and Vineeth in the box. He made a couple of crucial blocks as Kerala attacked with conviction on the Pune goal.

Gurtej Singh (6/10) - The Indian defender was a stable presence in the Pune defense alongside his partner Rafa Lopez. He was good in the air and made crucial clearances from the box.

Sahil Panwar (5.5/10) - The left-back for the home side had a tough day in office as he had to deal with the dual threat of Lalruatthara and the dynamic Jackichand Singh on his flank,

Adil Khan (5.5/10) - The Indian midfielder who played the defensive midfielder today looked strong in his tackles in the middle. He won a lot of aerial duels and did well to break up Kerala plays in the center.

Marko Stankovic (5.5/10) - The midfielder was a strong presence in the Pune defense as he moved the ball well around the park and was a constant threat from the setpieces.

Baljit Singh (5/10) - The former Chennaiyin FC man was deployed on the flanks by Popovic was ineffective and kept in check by the Kerala defense, later making way for Kean Lewis as Pune went all out for the winner.

Marcelinho (7.5/10) - The captain of the Pune team was at his usual creative self as he kept the Pune attack flowing. He took a lot of long-range efforts on the Kerala goal as he kept Roy alert between the sticks. He was awarded the Hero of the Match award for his performance.

Diego Carlos (6.5/10) - The Brazilian winger was a threat on the flanks as he kept the Kerala defenders on their toes with his skills and movement. He played on both the flanks and took shots on the goal as well.

Emiliano Alfaro (8/10) - The Uruguayan striker was the target man for the Pune team inside the box and had a couple of efforts on the goal in the first half. He equalized for the home side when he earned and scored the penalty in the 79th minute.

Substitutes:

Jonatan Lucca (4.5/10) - The Brazilian midfielder came on late in the second half as Pune pressed on after leveling the score in the match.

Kean Lewis (4.5/10) - The Indian winger was put on as Popovic introduced fresh legs for the Pune side to grab the winner.

Manuel Ortiz (4/10) - Ortiz replaced Alfaro with two minutes left of the regulation time as Popovic played the last roll of the dice for the winning goal.

Kerala Blasters FC

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CK Vineeth scored the winner

Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (5.5/10) - The Kerala keeper had a busy night as he dealt with the famed Pune attack. He conceded the penalty that got Pune back on level terms and was beaten a couple of times by Marcelinho but the post saved him.

Lalruatthara (6/10) - The defender was again played on the right flank by David James and had a busy game with the dangerous Diego Carlos to deal with. Lalruatthara was booked early in the match and had to be extra careful going into tackles.

Sandesh Jhingan (6/10) - The Kerala captain was his usual assertive self at the back for the away side as he kept the feisty Pune attackers in check. He went into challenges with conviction and won a lot of headers in the middle of the park.

Wes Brown (6/10) - The Englishman played a good partner to Jhingan in defense as he kickstarted a lot of Kerala plays from the back. He was calm and composed in tackles and on the ball.

Nemanja Lakic-Pesic (6/10) - The Serbian central defender was deployed on the left flank and had a busy night as he dealt with the Pune captain Marcelinho.

Milan Singh (6/10) - Milan Singh played in the pivot role between the defense and midfield for the Kerala side. He moved the ball around the park well as Kerala kept the pressure on the home side.

Prasanth K (5.5/10) - The young midfielder was kept in check by the Pune defense on his flank but put in a hard shift with his movement and passes in the midfield.

Jackichand Singh (7.5/10) - The former Mumbai City FC man was highly active on the right flank with his runs and crosses into the box. He put in two great crosses into the first half for Hume who had chances at the Pune goal. Jackichand opened the scoring for Kerala as he scored a stunner from outside the box.

Courage Pekuson (6.5/10) - The Ghanian midfielder played behind the attackers as he kept finding good balls across the attack. He even fell back to defend whenever the team needed his services. Pekuson provided the assist for the match-winner scored by CK Vineeth.

Iain Hume (6/10) - Iain Hume was a lively presence in the Kerala attack as he kept attacking the Pune goal. He was unfortunate when he got injured during an attack on the goal when he was tackled by Kaith and was replaced just before the end of the first half.

CK VIneeth(8/10) - The Kerala man was the central man in attack for Kerala and kept the Punekar defense busy with his movement. He did well to bring his fellow attackers into the game with his off the ball play. Vineeth proved the match-winner as he scored in the final minute of added time with a long-range effort and secured the three points for the away side..

Substitutes:

Gudjon Baldvinsson (6/10) - The Icelandic striker replaced Iain Hume when the Canadian striker came off after getting injured at the end of the first half. He provided the assist for the goal scored by Jackichand Singh that gave Kerala the lead.

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