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Indian national football team played their second match in the SAFF Championship 2018 against the Maldives at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The defending champions India started their title defence with a 2-0 win over neighbouring country Sri Lanka in the first Group B encounter. The Indian team were assured of a semifinals spot after a goalless draw between the Maldives and Sri Lanka and were on course to set up a clash with rivals Pakistan in the final four of the SAFF Championship.
The match started on a timid note and stayed so for around the first thirty minutes after which a great move by Nikhil Poojary put India ahead on the scoreboard. Manvir Singh added the second just minute before the second half to put India up 2-0 at halftime. The second half saw both the sides create a couple of chances but the scoreline remained the same as India marched their way into the semifinals.
India
Vishal Kaith (6.5/10) - The Indian keeper had a quiet first half as the Maldives attackers did not trouble him much. He was strong with his collections during set pieces and earned a good clean sheet.
Davinder Singh (7/10) - The right-back for India was actively involved in attacking moves down the flank making a lot of runs. He combined well with the midfielders ahead of him to create chances for the side.
Salam Ranjan Singh (6.5/10) - The East Bengal man was a strong presence in the Indian defence as he kept whatever attacks the Maldives managed out. He was a danger in the opponent's box during set pieces.
Subashish Bose (6.5/10) - The central defender was good with the ball at his feet and kickstarted the play when India played from the back. He put in strong challenges as well and won headers.
Jerry Lalrinzuala (7/10) - The marauding left-back of India was heavily involved in the attacks for the Blue Tigers with his runs on the wings. He put in a lot of crosses into the box for the strikers to attack.
Anirudh Thapa (8/10) - The mainstay of the Indian midfield and captain for the day, Thapa was instrumental to keep the ball moving across the park. He provided the assist for the second goal with a well-timed through ball for Manvir Singh.
Vinit Rai (7/10) - The defensive midfielder played his part in the midfield as he kept the Maldivian attacks from developing. He was strong with his tackles and also good at moving the ball out from the back of the midfield.
Lallianzuala Chhangte (6/10) - The goalscorer from the match against Sri Lanka was active in and around the attacking box as he kept looking for passes to the attackers.
Nikhil Poojary (8.5/10) - The man from Mumbai got his first goal in the national colors when he started and finished a superb move from the midfield to slot past the goalkeeper. He was constantly a source of concern for the Maldivian defence with his attacking threat.
Farukh Choudhary (8/10) - Choudhary played as a central striker for the second game running and made good runs into the Maldives box. He provided the perfect 1-2 pass for Nikhil Poojary to score in the first half.
Manvir Singh (8/10) - Manvir also scored his first goal for India just before the end of the first half when he beat the offside trap and rounded the keeper to finish in the empty net. He was active throughout the match with his runs into the box and was good in his hold-up play.
Substitutes:
Vignesh D (4.5/10) - The youngster came on for Chhangte at the start of the second half of the match.
Sumeet Passi (4/10) - The Jamshedpur FC man replaced his clubmate Farukh Choudhary upfront as Constantine added fresh legs in the Indian attack.
Hitesh Sharma (2/10) - The former Mumbai FC midfielder replaced goalscorer Nikhil Poojary for the final stretch of the match.
Maldives
Mohamed Faisal (6.5/10) - The Maldives keeper did well between the sticks for a fair amount of time before being beaten twice before the end of the first half. He was always strong when coming off his line and saved a lot of efforts.
Ali Samooh (5/10) - The defender was kept very busy by the Indian defenders as he made a couple of great blocks in the box. He was strong in his tackles and won some headers as well.
Akram Ghanee (5/10) - The central defender had a tough time in the backline keeping the runs of Farukh and Manvir in check.
Hussain Yoosuf (5.5/10) - The right back for the Maldives made a couple of good runs along the flanks but was largely unable to trouble the Indian defence.
Mohamed Mujuthaaz (5/10) - The left-back was restrained in his attacking role having to deal with the Indian attack on his flank. He was constantly under pressure as the Indians attacked heavily from the wings.
Mohamed Arif (5/10) - The hulking midfielder was kept on his toes throughout the match by the Indian midfielders who moved the ball across the field well.
Mohamed Irufaan (5/10) - The defensive midfielder had to play very deep to keep the Indian attackers in check and had a busy outing with the Indians controlling the ball for the most part.
Ibrahim Hussain (7/10) - The best player on the pitch for the Maldives, Hussain came the closest to scoring as he kept the Indian defence occupied with his dribbling and his runs inside the box.
Ibrahim Waheed (6/10) - The midfielder on the right wing had a decent outing with his runs and crosses into the box for the strikers.
Ahmed Imaaz (4.5/10) - The attacking midfielder had a disappointing showing in the first half of the match as he could not make an impact. He was substituted at the start of the second half.
Asadhulla Abdulla (5/10) - The target man for the Maldives was kept in check by the Indian defenders and struggled to garner any credible shot on the goal.
Substitutes:
Hamzath Mohamed (4/10) - The midfielder replaced Ahmed Imaaz early on in the second half of the match.
Hassan Naiz (4.5/10) - Naiz was put on by the coach to introduce fresh legs in the midfield as the Maldives added the defensive cover to tackle the Indian attack.
Ali Fasir (4/10) - The striker came on to replace Abdulla in attack as the Maldives stepped up their search for the goal.
