Indian Super Cup 2018: Bengaluru FC vs NEROCA FC, Player Ratings
The final quarterfinal of the Indian Super Cup took place between Bengaluru FC and NEROCA FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.
Bengaluru FC came into the match on the back of a hard-earned win in the Round of 16 fixture over I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC.
NEROCA FC, on the other hand, were victorious over ISL franchise Kerala Blasters FC in a superb comeback win.
Bengaluru began the game on a strong note with an early goal scored by Sunil Chhetri capitalising on a keeping fumble by Lalit Thapa.
A fumble from Gurpreet Sandhu saw NEROCA FC equalise through Pritam Singh but Chhetri added two more goals in the second half to seal the 3-1 win for Bengaluru FC.
Bengaluru FC will take on I-League giants Mohun Bagan in the semi-final of the Indian Super Cup.
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (5/10) - The Indian No.1 had a quiet first half for the most part but perhaps turned out to his bane as he made a mess of an Aryn Williams freekick that was scored by Pritam Singh.
He was rarely tested in the second half as Bengaluru did well to keep NEROCA in check.
Rahul Bheke (3/10) - The Bengaluru FC right-back was active on the right flank but after a knock was taken off and replaced by Nishu Kumar.
John Johnson (6/10) - The Englishman was strong in the backline marking Joachim Jr and not allowing him much space in the box.
He made a lot of tackles at the back and was stable for the Blues.
Juanan (6/10) - The tough-tackling defender formed a good partnership with Johnson at the back as he made a lot of aerial interceptions.
Subhashish Bose (6/10) - The left-back for the Bengaluru side did well on the flank with his runs up and down the flank.
He combined with the midfielders ahead and put in good crosses into the box for the strikers.
Erik Paartalu (5.5/10) - The big man from down under operated in central midfield and was the man who put in the strong tackles.
He was an option during the setpieces as well for the Blues with his aerial prowess.
Lenny Rodrigues (5.5/10) - The lanky Goan played in the defensive midfielder role and ran up and down the midfield helping both the attack and defence.
He did well to pass the ball around from the centre and spotted the runs of Bengaluru wingers.
Victor Perez (6/10) - The Spanish midfielder played centrally behind the attack as he moved all across the midfield stringing together passes for them.
Udanta Singh (7/10) - The 'Flash' was highly threatening on the right wing and created the first goal with his movement when his cross found its way to Chhetri for an open header.
Sunil Chhetri (9/10) - The skipper was on target for Bengaluru with an opportunistic header in the 13th minute when he pounced on the mistake by Thapa and headed it into the empty net.
Chhetri added another just before the hour mark when he beat the offside trap and scored to put the Bengaluru side into the lead after NEROCA had equalised.
He rounded off a superb performance with a late third goal when he curled his effort around Thapa to earn the match ball.
Miku (6.5/10) - The Venezuelan striker was the main target up ahead for the Bengaluru players as he made runs past the NEROCA defence.
He even fell deep at times in the midfield and provided additional support to the midfield.
Substitutes:
Nishu Kumar (5/10) - The wing-back came on for the injured Rahul Bheke early on in the match.
He did well on the flank providing able support to Udanta up ahead as well defending back whenever called upon.
Toni Dovale (3/10) - The midfielder replaced Erik Paartalu in the final ten minutes in the second change made by Albert Roca.
He created the third goal for Sunil Chhetri with a good pass.
Boithang Haokip (2/10) - The former Mumbai City FC man replaced Udanta on the wing for the final five minutes of the match.