Toyota Yaris La Liga World: Kerala Blasters vs Melbourne City FC - Player Ratings

The Toyota Yaris La Liga World pre-season tournament kicked off in Kochi, Kerala on Tuesday, with Kerala Blasters facing Melbourne City FC in the opener.

It is the first time an international level pre-season tournament is taking place in India, with Kerala Blasters, Melbourne City FC, and Girona FC making up three teams in the tournament.

The game had a slow start, as the team from Down Under took their time to settle down and acclimatize to the conditions. The Blasters, on the other hand, tried to attack with the minimum number of chances they got.

Kerala Blasters were fielding a relatively new squad compared to last season, and it showed on the pitch, as communication between the defenders and midfielders was missing.

Dheeraj Singh, the young prodigy of Indian football, made his debut for Kerala Blasters but didn't have a game to remember. The first half ended with the scoreboard reading 2-0 in favour of Melbourne City FC.

The match ended with Melbourne City thrashing Kerala Blasters 6-0, in the opening game of the Toyota Yaris La Liga World pre-season tournament.

On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings of the game.

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Kerala Blasters

Dheeraj Singh M (5/10): Dheeraj was beaten six times in his debut game for Kerala Blasters. Even though he was beaten easily at times, he did pull off a few excellent saves from long-range shots.

Nemanja Lakic Pesic (4.5/10): The Kerala defence was at sixes and sevens when it came to defending, and Lakic Pesic was way below par as he was often beaten.

Cyril Kali (5/10): The French defender didn't have the best of starts to his Kerala Blasters career as his side ended up losing by six goals to nil. He looked to have problems communicating with his fellow defenders.

Anas Edathodika (4/10): Anas was also making his Kerala Blasters debut, and it was a perfect occasion for the Kerala-born lad. Anas though, was poor on the night, as he was out of position on numerous occasions. It looks like it will take time for him to adjust to his new team.

Sandesh Jhingan (6/10): Jhingan had an excellent first half, as he made some crucial last-ditch tackles. The Chandigarh-born defender though lost his way through the second half as the goals kept piling up for Melbourne City.

Keziron Kizito (4/10): Kizito was overrun in midfield and was a shadow for most parts of the game. He barely had an impact on the game.

Prasanth K (6/10): The young lad from Kerala had an impressive game, he kept running down the flanks with gust and guile. He does need to work on his crossing skills as he misplaced a lot of final balls.

Halicharan Narzary (4/10): Halicharan failed to make a mark for himself on his debut for Kerala Blasters. He tried his usual tricks down the flanks but couldn't muster up anything other than a pale shade of ordinary. He was also left wanting in defence.

Seiminlen Doungel (6.5/10): Len displayed a bright burst of speed and energy on his debut for Kerala Blasters. He played in an unusual position just behind the striker and had the license to roam free.

Slavisa Stojanovic (5.5/10): Stojanovic had to drop deep in search of the ball often. He couldn't do much in front of goal. Stojanovic did miss a golden chance for Kerala Blasters.

Matej Poplatnik (5.5/10): Poplatnik ran his heart out in front of goal, but was deprived of the required service from Midfield.

Substitutes

Mohammad Rakip (4/10): The young lad tried his best during the end moments of the game but couldn't do much.

Hrishi Dath (4/10): Hrishi covered a lot of ground in the second half but failed to do much during his time on the pitch.

Courage Pekuson (5/10): Pekuson tried to stabilize the Blasters midfield after coming on in the second half, but had to do more defensive duties than attacking duties. A lot of passes also went astray.

Zakeer Mundampara (4/10): Zakeer had two wild pops at goal, his distribution in midfield was poor.

Loken Meitei (4.5/10): Loken tried his best to run past the Melbourne City defence. He played a very delightful pass to Stojanovic, but the striker failed to convert it. His defensive duties were left wanting.

Melbourne City FC

Dean Bouzanis (7/10): Bouzanis hardly had anything to do during the game. He did make two good saves and had a couple of good outings.

Nathaniel Atkinson (7.5/10): Atkinson was solid defensively, and he often ventured forward and instigated attacking moves.

Bart Schenkeveld (7/10): Schenkeveld was solid defensively and was seldom beaten by the Kerala attackers. He broke down a host of attacks and was always a target man during set pieces.

Osama Malik (8/10): The centre-back cleared a host of Kerala Blasters attacks. He was a wall, and he did his job brilliantly.

Scott Jamieson (7/10): Prasanth beat Jamieson for pace quite often, but Jamieson almost always made up for it and covered his tracks and didn't let Prasanth get the better of him.

Luke Brattan (8.5/10): Brattan controlled the game for the time he was on the pitch. He provided a delicious cross for Vidosic during the first goal and played a lot of key passes during the game.

Riley McGree (9/10): The livewire of the game, McGree was a class above his counterparts. The Kerala Blasters defenders had a torrid experience keeping him in check. Mcgree scored a brace in the game, with a goal in both halves.

Michael O'Halloran (8.5/10): O'Halloran ran riot through the Kerala defence with his tricky runs and had an assist to his name too. He had a couple of shots at goal also.

Anthony Caceres (9/10): The Australian midfielder who is on a loan stint at Melbourne City from Manchester City had a good game, as his passes split the Kerala defence often. He had a brilliant assist to his name too.

Dario Vidosic (8/10): Vidosic opened the scoring for the night as he headed home from a Brattan lofted through ball. Vidosic had a couple of more chances also but failed to convert them.

Lachlan Wales (8.5/10): Wales worked very hard during his time on the pitch and eventually rewarded with a goal in the second half. He played some excellent passes too.

Substitutes

Ramy Najjarine (9/10): Najjarine was probably the best player for Melbourne City today, he had an immediate impact on the game. He played some nice passes and scored a good goal too.

Bruno Fornaroli (8/10): Fornaroli scored the sixth goal of the game. He did an excellent job to break the offside trap and slot the ball home.

Harrison Delbridge (7/10): Delbridge had an excellent second half as he controlled long parts of the game and also split open the Kerala defence on numerous occasions.

Conor Metcalfe (8/10): Hit the post with a curling effort, he showed his quality on the ball during his limited time on the pitch. He had more than a few pops at goal from a distance.

Christian Cavallo (7/10): He had a good game, and found his man with every pass he made. He helped Melbourne control the game in the second half.

Dylan Pierias (8/10): The young right-back had a good game, and showed why he is rated highly by the Melbourne City team. He was calm and composed while defending and seldom beaten.