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Bengaluru FC and FC Pune City shared the spoils in a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the IPL at the Sree Kanteeveera stadium in Bengaluru. Incidentally, this was the league leaders' first draw of the season. Sarthak Golui opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half whereas Miku scored a late equalizer for Bengaluru FC.
There were chances galore for both the sides with Pune and Bengaluru squandering a high number of clear-cut chances. On that note, let's take a look at how each player fared in an entertaining 1-1 draw between the top two sides of this season:
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh: 8/10
Gurpreet was called into action many times in the match and the keeper was up for the task every time. He was superb in his distribution but would feel hard done by to let in a goal.
Rahul Bheke: 6/10
The former Pune man had a first half to forget, where he committed a number of errors and was also at fault for the first goal. But Bheke improved in the second half and was a brilliant outlet as the game went on.
Juanan: 6/10
The centre-back was solid in his aerial duels but struggled against the guile of Marcelino on certain occasions. But his recovery was fast and Bengaluru faced no consequence from his at times sluggishness.
John Johnson: 7/10
The Bengaluru veteran was at his best in defense tonight. Be it clearing his lines, intercepting attacks or starting out the attacks, Johnson did everything brilliantly. A late cynical foul on Marcelino which got him a yellow was the only blemish on his performance.
Subhashish Bose: 6/10
The left-back was solid in his duels and passed the ball with conviction. He was strangely taken off near the hour mark despite playing well.
Lenny Rodrigues: 6/10
Playing against his former side, Lenny was decent with the ball and recycled it with minimum touches. Lenny also got forward when necessary but could have done better defensively.
Dimas Delgado: 5/10
The midfielder started the game sloppily but grew in stature as the game went on. He controlled the tempo of the game but was slow in the build-up at times. Delgado's set pieces were also poor on the night.
Toni Dovale: 6/10
The forward looked tired which must be because of the midweek travel to the Maldives for the AFC Cup game. He failed to create any attacking impetus and looked a shadow of his influencing best.
Udanta Singh: 4/10
Udanta had a subdued night and was dominated on the flank by Sahil. He lost the ball on numerous occasions and did not look confident when in possession.
Sunil Chhetri: 6/10
The captain was anonymous for the first half hour. He improved in the second interval with his link-up play and drive forward in the final quarter of the game being a treat to watch at times.
Miku: 7/10
The Spaniard scored the equalizer but should have scored the winner too. Miku missed two golden chances late in the game to win the match for his side. He also received a booking for dissent.
Substitutions
Nishu Kumar: 7/10
Replacing Bose, Nishu Kumar brought some urgency in Bengaluru's play and linked up well with Chhetri.
Alwyn George: 5/10
Coming on for his fifth substitute appearance of the season, Alwyn tried to get in the right areas but failed to do anything noteworthy.
Semboi: N/A
The match winner of Bengaluru FC's AFC Cup game looked sharp in his little cameo but did not have much time to create the right impact.
FC Pune City
Vishal Kaith: 9/10
The holder of the golden glove armband, Vishal Kaith looked solid as ever between the posts. He made a number of stunning stops on the night with his one-handed save off Dovale's deflected free-kick being the best of the night.
Baljit Sahni: 5/10
The makeshift right-back went on a mazy solo run in the first half and looked comfortable on the ball. But he was lucky not to concede a penalty late in the game when he handled a cross from Sunil Chhetri. Also, it was his weak clearance which led to the Bengaluru goal.
Rafa Lopez: 8/10
Another match, another stunning performance from the Spanish defender! He looks calm and composed in everything that he does and against the deadliest side in the ISL, Rafa never looked out of place even in one instance.
Gurtej Singh: 5/10
The center-back made a goal-saving clearance in the first 10 minutes. But Gurtej then struggled with the pace of the Bengaluru attackers and was taken off at halftime (may have suffered a knock too).
Sahil Panwar: 7/10
The young left back managed the threat of Udanta Singh brilliantly and closed down the attackers as quickly as possible. He too received a yellow card late in the game for a bad challenge on Rahul Bheke.
Marcos Tebar: 6/10
Tebar did all the dirty work that was needed from him and shielded his backline from the Bengaluru danger. He was sharp with his passing and showed great physical strength in all the contested duels.
Adil Khan: 6/10
Khan gave all the support to Tebar in holding their fort in midfield but he would have loved to get more involved when going forward. He then played as a center back in the second half and was comfortable in his second best position.
Sarthak Golui: 7/10
It was a masterstroke to play Sarthak in midfield by the Pune management. He scored the goal for the visitors, getting on the end because of a fine late run into the box. Golui was also instrumental in a number of ball retentions by FC Pune City.
Diego Carlos: 6/10
The Brazilian showed great energy on the night and ran behind the Bengaluru backline on a couple of occasions. He missed a one on one chance late in the game and was soon substituted.
Marcelino: 7/10
The captain should have received a booking in the 2nd minute for a late lunge on Bose. With the ball, Marcelino was at his influential best, looking for the killer pass or driving forward with it. He attempted a number of shots on target but could not breach Sandhu's wall.
Emiliano Alfaro: 5/10
The Uruguayan ran for lost causes during his entire appearance and also tracked back when needed. He gave an assist to Sarthak but was booked soon. Alfaro was substituted in the second half due to the danger of a second booking. The striker will miss the next game through suspension against FC Goa.
Substitutions
Rohit Kumar: 6/10
Kumar replaced Gurtej and was energetic in the center of the park. He miscued a few tackles but recovered quickly.
Marko Stankovic: 7/10
Pune's super sub played a pivotal role in his side's counter-attacks since his arrival. His partnership with Marcelino threatened the Bengaluru defense at times.
Jonatan Lucca: N/A
Lucca did not have ample time to manage something worth mentioning.
