I-League 2017/18: East Bengal v Minerva Punjab - Player Ratings
East Bengal took on Minvera Punjab in a very crucial fixture in the context of the I-League. If Minerva won, they would have essentially claimed the league title. However, the home team rallied to stage a brilliant comeback and managed to draw the match.
Here, we take a closer look at how the players performed:
East Bengal
The Red and Golds were really struggling going into the break, but they came back strongly in the second half and finished the game with a huge share of ball possession amounting up to 69%.
East Bengal piled up intense pressure in the second half and were deservedly rewarded with two goals to eke out one point through Joby Justin and Brandon Vanlalremdika.
Ubaid (8/10): The Kerala Lad had an impressive debut with East Bengal with few crucial saves in the first half.
Deepak Kumar (7.5/10): The youngster had a tough day on the field as he was given a run for his money by Opoku, Sukhdev and Chencho on numerous occasions.
Salam Ranjan Singh (7/10): Singh had an average outing and was slow in his back-tracking abilities. He also played several wrong passes.
Mehtab Singh (6/10): The youngster was substituted in the second half due to his poor defensive performance which resulted in two early goals.
Bazie Armand (7/10): Bazie leaked possession way too cheaply on several occasions but put in a great shift today going forward.
Eduardo Ferreira (8.5/10): The Brazilian defender was at his best with timely interceptions and proved his superiority in the aerial battles.
Katsumi Yusa (8/10): The Japanese missed a crucial spot-kick but was on song throughout the second half.
Cavin Lobo (7.5/10): Lobo was appointed the captain today and delivered some accurate long balls into the box but it did not garner any positive result.
Laldanmawia Ralte (8/10): The Mizo Striker was brilliant on the right flank with fiery crosses which troubled the Minerva side throughout the game.
Dudu Omagbemi (4.5/10): The Nigerian had a poor day on the field with no positive move whatsoever.
Joby Justin (8.5/10): The Kerala Lad scored a brilliant header from a corner and was a menace for the Minerva defence with his quick runs.
Substitutes
Kromah (5/10): The substitute came on in the first half and was poor as well on the lines of Dudu Omagbemi.
B. Vanlalremdika (9/10): The young forward came late into the game and scored in no time to make the scoreboard level.
M. Rafique (N/A): Rafique came late into the game and did not get enough time on the ball.