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This week's Hero Indian Super League action kicked off with a Southern Derby as Chennaiyin FC hosted league leaders Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, India.
The match saw the clash of the top two teams in the ISL as Bengaluru FC began in the top spot with 27 points from their 13 matches. The hosts Chennaiyin FC were in the second position with 23 points from 12 games and could go within one point with a win at home.
Bengaluru FC pulled off another away win as they won 3-1 at the Marina Arena and maintained their spot in the Hero ISL standings. Sunil Chhetri created two and scored one goal as Bengaluru won comfortably in the end. Jeje Lalpkhlua missed a great chance to put the sides level and Sereno's sending off further shifted the advantage towards the Blues.
Chennaiyin FC
Karanjit Singh (5/10) - The Chennai keeper's game began on a sour note as he was beaten early with a strike by Boithang Haokip in the third minute. He conceded a soft goal after the hour mark when he fumbled a shot from Chhetri which was put into the goal by Miku. His misery was further increased as Sunil Chhetri scored in the final minutes of added time.
Inigo Calderon (5.5/10) - The right-back was his usual best on the flank as he played up and down with great conviction. He was assertive in defence whenever Bengaluru attacked but made up great ground to attack with crosses from the flank.
Mailson Alves (5.5/10) - The Brazilian defender was the no-nonsense man in the Chennaiyin defence as he was strong in his tackles and clearances. He was a target man from the Chennaiyin setpieces as well.
Henrique Sereno (4.5/10) - The Portuguese centre-back was a strong presence in the Chennaiyin FC defence but was cautioned early on and played a careful game henceforth.He made some critical challenges inside the box. Unfortunately for Chennaiyin FC, Sereno was sent off for his second bookable offence in the 71st minute of the match.
Jerry Lalrinzuala (6/10) - The young left-back for the home side was the provider for the first goal when his cross was headed in by Francisco Fernandes past Gurpreet Sandhu to level it up in the first half. His miscalculated back-pass led to the final goal for Bengaluru FC.
Dhanpal Ganesh (6.5/10) - The defensive midfielder for Chennaiyin FC played the pivot role between the defence and the midfielders. He broke up a lot of plays and was a tough tackler in the centre of the pitch. Ganesh earned a penalty for the home side
Anirudh Thapa (5.5/10) - The youngster played centrally in the midfield and was involved in a lot of attacking moves for the Chennaiyin side. He was the setpiece taker for the team and even had a couple of long-range efforts on the Bengaluru goal.
Francisco Fernandes (6/10) - The winger who played on the right flank was the goalscorer for the home side when he rose high and headed past Sandhu to make it all square on the night.
Raphael Augusto (6/10) - The Brazilian played the role of playmaker for the home side and controlled the tempo in the midfield. He kept looking for the runs from attackers ahead of him and had some efforts on the goal.
Gregory Nelson (6.5/10) - The left winger for the Chennaiyin side was highly active on his flank and kept the Bengaluru defence busy with his incisive runs as he drew a lot of fouls from them.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (5.5/10) - The Mizo Sniper was the sole target man in attack for the Chennai side. He was a constant threat for the Bengaluru defenders with his runs. Jeje missed a chance to put the scores level when his weak penalty kick was saved by Gurpreet Sandhu easily.
Substitutes:
Jaime Gavilan (4.5/10) - The creative midfielder came off the bench in place of Raphael Augusto as Chennaiyin pushed on for the equalizer.
Jude Nworuh (4/10) - The winger was put in by John Gregory on the wings as Chennaiyin tried to get back into the match.
Germanpreet Singh (4/10) - The former Minerva FC player came on in place of Anirudh Thapa as cover after Sereno was sent off in the second half.
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (6/10) - The India No.1 was beaten by a towering header by Francisco Fernandes after having a decent first half between the sticks. He bounced back well in the second half when he saved a penalty from Jeje Lalpekhlua that would have levelled the scores in the match.
Harmanjyot Khabra (5/10) - The right-back was a little conservative in his attacks today as he had to deal with the threat of Gregory Nelson and Jerry Lalrinzuala on his flank. He conceded a penalty when he brought down Dhanpal Ganesh inside the box but it was saved by Sandhu.
John Johnson (5.5/10) - The Englishman played in the central defence for the Blues and was the tough tackler as he committed a lot of fouls. He was good on the ball as well as Bengaluru built their attacks from the back.
Juanan (5.5/10) - The second centre-back for Bengaluru FC was the more calming presence in the Bengaluru defence alongside John Johnson. He was always the target man from the setpieces whenever Bengaluru had the chance.
Subhasish Bose (6/10) - The left-back for the away side was good with his attacking runs on the flank and put in good crosses and combined well with Delgado in the midfield.
Boithang Haokip (6.5/10) - The former Mumbai City FC made an immediate impact on the match with an early goal in the third minute. He got on the end of a header from Sunil Chhetri and slotted his effort past the rushing Chennai goal to give Bengaluru FC the lead.
Eric Paartalu (6/10) - The Australian defensive midfielder played alongside Dimas Delgado in the midfield and did a great job in providing cover for the Bengaluru defence. He was always a threat from the setpieces with his height.
Dimas Delgado (7.5/10) - The Spaniard was superb in the midfield tonight as he controlled the attacking flow for the away side. He kept finding good passes and his free-kick led to the match-winning goal scored by Miku. He was awarded the Hero of the Match award for his performance.
Udanta Singh (7/10) - The pacey winger was active on the right flank with great runs and was always an option for Bengaluru in the attack. He put in some good crosses into the box for Chhetri and Miku to attack. He provided the assist in the final minutes when he won the ball with his persistence and found Chhetri in the box with an easy chance.
Miku (6.5/10) - The Venezuelan continued his good form in the league as he got his name on the scoresheet with perhaps the easiest goal for him this season. After Chhetri's shot was fumbled by Karanjit Singh, Miku had the open goal to score.
Sunil Chhetri (8/10) - The skipper provided the assist for Haokip's goal when his header from a cross was laid into the striker's path and he scored for the early lead. He was the provider again for the second goal when his shot that was saved by Karanjit was put in by Miku. He finally got his name on the scoresheet in the final minutes when he scored from an easy opportunity created by Udanta Singh.
Substitutes:
Nishu Kumar (4.5/10) - The young left-back came on to replace goalscorer Boithang Haokip in the 74th minute of the match.
Toni Dovale (4/10) - The midfielder replaced Erik Partaalu in the midfield for the final ten minutes as Bengaluru introduced fresh legs to hold on to their lead in the match.
Edu Garcia (4/10) - The Spaniard came on in the final minutes as he replaced Miku for the final five minutes of the match.
