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The first Maharashtra derby of the ISL 2017 season went right down to the wire as FC Pune City came back from a goal down to beat rivals Mumbai City FC, courtesy a last-minute winner from their talisman Emiliano Alfaro.
Ranko Popovic's men started the game on the back foot and conceded an early goal when Balwant Singh found the back of the net with a sensational strike from outside the area on the 15th minute.
The Stallions slowly started finding their feet and continued to dominate possession, heading into the halftime break as the stronger side. Pune were finally rewarded when Raju Gaikwad brought down Diego Carlos in the 71st minute and Alfaro converted from the spot with ease to level things up.
It was Alfaro again who sent the Balewadi Stadium into an explosion of cheers as he got on to the end of a ball from Diego to tap in a 93rd-minute winner and help Pune gain bragging rights over their arch-rivals. Here, we take a look at how the players from both sides were rated on the night.
FC Pune City
Kamaljit Singh - 5/10
The Pune City shot-stopper did not produce a commanding performance between the sticks and looked a bit shaky on a few instances. However, he could do nothing about the goal and did not receive any favours from his defenders while conceding the same.
Baljit Sahni - 6/10
Sahni did well whenever he came up against the Mumbai City attack and showed good composure on the ball. The defender lived up to his manager's flattering words about him before the game and restricted Abhinas Ruidas to his own half on many occasions.
Rafael Lopez - 6/10
Lopez carried out his duties at the back and slowly settled in as the game progressed with Pune taking control of the situation. Apart from the goal, the opposition attackers could not pose any challenging threat whatsoever for the defender.
Gurtej Singh - 6/10
Gurtej also did not face a lot of difficulty while keeping the Mumbai attackers on bay. He enjoyed playing the ball forward on a few occasions and did well to keep Everton Santos quiet.
Lalchhuanmawia Fanai - 6/10
Fanai got forward on a few instances and helped his team, both in offense and while defending. He also forced Sanju Pradhan to track back and hardly gave the winger any time on the ball.
Marcos Tebar - 5/10
A disappointing night for Tebar was completed when he was taken off in the 62nd minute after he failed to exert any control in the game despite being in very decent form lately.
Rohit Kumar - 6/10
The midfielder came up against a strong Mumbai midfield that was never shy of putting in challenges and closing down players at will. However, he covered a lot of ground and worked hard in midfield especially when Pune didn't have the ball.
Marcelinho - 7/10
The Brazilian continued his good form for the Stallions and came close to scoring on a few occasions but was denied only by Amrinder Singh's heroics. Marcelinho seems to have established a quality relationship with Alfaro, a partnership that could work wonders for the club.
Diego Carlos - 7/10
A bit wasteful on the night but Carlos stayed on and initiated the comeback by winning a penalty and providing the assist to Alfaro for the winner.
Issac Vanmalsawma - 6/10
The 20-year-old showed glimpses of promise while going forward in the first half but eventually faded off before being taken off in the 77th minute as Pune pushed for the winner.
Emiliano Alfaro - 9/10
The Uruguayan continued his fine goal-scoring form from the game against ATK and followed up with a brace in his first ever Maha derby. Alfaro has been the best striker in the league so far without the shadow of a doubt.
Substitutes
Kean Lewis - 6/10
The winger looked lively after coming on and enjoyed linking up with Marcelinho and Alfaro
Jonatan Lucca - 5/10
Lucca had a shot saved by Amrinder after coming on in the 77th minute but failed to make any headlines.
Adil Khan - N/A
Came on in the 90th minute
Mumbai City FC
Amrinder Singh - 6/10
Despite ending up on the losing side Amrinder ended up being one of the best performers in the game and kept Marcelinho at bay.
Marcio Rozario - 5/10
Rozario was kept on his toes in the second half by the Pune attackers and the defender did not look very comfortable on the ball in his own half.
Lucian Goian - 7/10
Another player in the Mumbai side who did not deserve to end up on the losing side, Goian was very good on the ball and made some impressive tackles. If not for him, Pune could have scored a few more with ease.
Raju Gaikwad - 5/10
The defender had a night to forget and conceded the penalty that led to the Pune comeback when he brought down Diego Carlos inside the penalty area.
Gerson Vieira - 7/10
The midfielder enjoyed possession on the ball and was quick to close down the Pune attackers on many instances. He was adjudged 'Hero of the match'.
Sanju Pradhan - 5/10
A dismal performance from Sanju on the night and he was taken off by the manager shortly after the hour mark.
Sehnaj Singh - 6/10
Sehnaj played a good part with Vieria in midfield and disrupted the tempo of Pune's attack with some tackles and interceptions. He also picked up a booking on the 47th minute.
Abhinas Ruidas - 6/10
The youngster had a decent game but he would have loved a bit more going forward and was pegged back due to Baljit Sahni's presence on the right flank.
Achille Emana - 6/10
Emana showed good muscle through the middle but failed to do anything noteworthy and eventually faded off in the second half.
Everton Santos - 6/10
The Brazilian failed to leave a mark on the game and was replaced in the 62nd minute to cap off a disappointing night.
Balwant Singh - 7/10
The striker showed great technique in scoring the opening goal but failed to keep up the same intensity throughout the full ninety minutes.
Substitutes
Rafa Jorda - 5/10
The Spaniard replaced Everton on the second half but failed to find his feet after coming on.
Mehrajuddin Wadoo - 5/10
The defender replaced Sanju on the 64th minute and was left out as a passenger as Pune clawed their way back into the game.
Thiago Santos - N/A
Came on in the 87th minute.
