India 2-0 Cambodia: Blue Tigers Player Ratings from comfortable victory | AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers

Sunil Chhetri led from the front with a brace as India picked up a routine 2-0 win over Cambodia in Match 2 in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers in Kolkata on Wednesday, June 8.

Igor Stimac's side started the game well and forced a couple of saves, albeit straightforward ones, from the Cambodian goalkeeper in the opening minutes. They eventually got their best chance to go ahead when Liston Colaco was brought down inside the box in the 12th minute.

Chhetri stepped up to take the spot-kick and scored with ease to put the Blue Tigers ahead. The goal raised the noise levels at an already upbeat Salt Lake Stadium as India dominated the proceedings with little to do defensively.

Cambodia didn't really improve much after the break either, with Stimac's side looking fairly comfortable despite holding a small lead. They continued to create chances but lacked incision when they got into the box.

But a moment of genius from Brandon Fernandes brought them their second goal on the hour-mark. The midfielder whipped in a cross from the left following a corner which found an unmarked Chhetri at the far-post. The Indian skipper scored his second with a well-placed header to make it 2-0.

That goal seemed to kill off whatever little hope Cambodia harbored as the Blue Tigers held on for a comfortable victory.

Here are the player ratings for India from their victory:

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Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 6/10

Indian custodian Sandhu had close to nothing to do throughout the match barring a couple of comfortable saves.

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Akash Mishra - 6.5/10

Mishra put in another of the workhorse performances he gained a reputation for during the 2021-22 ISL season. The Hyderabad FC full-back was unlucky not to get an assist despite whipping in multiple good crosses.

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Anwar Ali - 7/10

Ali was hardly disturbed by a largely dormant Cambodia attack but showed immense composure whenever he was called upon. His pass over the top to Colaco before the latter won the penalty for the first goal was excellent as well.

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Sandesh Jhingan - 7/10

Jhingan, like Ali, was hardly disturbed throughout the evening. He used his experience when needed and came away with a straightforward cleansheet.

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Naorem Roshan Singh - 6/10

Roshan Singh whipped in a few promising crosses and did pose some threat to the Cambodian defense. However, his shots were extremely wayward and came in situations where he may have been better off passing the ball.

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Suresh Wangjam - 7/10

Wangjam locked up India's midfield for almost the entire game and snuffed out the danger on the rare occasion that Cambodia made their way forward. He seemed happy to do the dirty work, which allowed his fellow midfielders to make forays forward.

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Anirudh Thapa - 6/10

Thapa put in a decent shift and kept India ticking in midfield with some well-timed tackles and a couple of defense-splitting passes. He was taken off at the end of the first half.

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Manvir Singh - 5/10

Manvir Singh was hardly involved in the game, with most of India's attacks in the first half coming from the left. He was also substituted at half-time.

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Brandon Fernandes - 7.5/10

Fernandes worked his way into the game and became the heart of the Blue Tigers' creativity. His cross for Chhetri's second goal was brilliant and he also went close to scoring soon afterwards with a clever piece of play.

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Sunil Chhetri - 8/10

Indian skipper Chhetri took both his goals well, first from the penalty spot and then with a free header at the far post, to move to 82 international goals. However, in between those two strikes, he missed a few presentable opportunities from promising positions.

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Liston Colaco - 6.5/10

Colaco was bright as always, with the Salt Lake crowd vociferously cheering him on. He won the penalty for the first goal and seemed to play across the front line with varying degrees of success in a decent display.

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Substitutes

Udanta Singh - 6.5/10

Udanta Singh came on for Manvir Singh at half-time. He dragged the Cambodian defense wide with his trickery and dribbling in a solid performance.

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Sahal Abdul Samad - 6.5/10

Samad replaced Thapa ahead of the second half. He was a menace throughout his time on the pitch and went close to scoring on a couple of occasions.

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Glan Martins - 6/10

Martins came on for Fernandes in the 68th minute. He was tidy with his passing but his shots were quite poor.

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Ashique Kuruniyan - 6.5/10

Kuruniyan replaced Chhetri in the 68th minute. His pace caused all sorts of problems for Cambodia and he almost scored but for a good save from the opposition custodian.

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Pritam Kotal - 6/10

Kotal came on for Roshan Singh in the 73rd minute. He did a decent job in defense but wasn't much of a factor going forward.