ISL 2017/18, Match 88: Chennaiyin FC vs Mumbai City FC, Player Ratings
Match 88 of the Hero Indian Super League saw Chennaiyin FC host Mumbai City FC in a dead rubber clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, India.
The hosts had already qualified for the playoffs with a tally of 29 points from their seventeen matches of the season and a win tonight would have lifted them from the third to second spot in the table. Mumbai City FC, on the other hand, started on the 7th spot with 23 points from their seventeen matches and aimed for a win to ensure direct qualification for the Super Cup.
Chennaiyin FC came out on the top over the Mumbai City FC side courtesy a penalty from Rene Mihelic in the second half. Both the sides had efforts on goal as the keepers put in a solid performance between the sticks. Chennaiyin FC rise to the second spot in the ISL standings with this win.
Chennaiyin FC
Pawan Kumar (6.5/10) - The debutante keeper had a confident showing between the sticks for the home side as he dealt with aerial balls as well the long-range efforts from the Mumbai midfielders.
Thoi Singh (6/10) - The midfielder played in the right-back role tonight and used his pace well to defend against Balwant Singh.
Keenan Almeida (6/10) - The former FC Goa man played in central defence as John Gregory put on a revamped backline for the match. He combined well alongside Dhanachandra to keep the Mumbai attackers in check.
Dhanachandra Singh (6/10) - The left-back by nature played in the central defence for the Chennaiyin side. The new-look Chennai defence did well to contain the attacking threat of the Mumbai attack.
Fulganco Cardozo (6/10) - The left-back for the Chennaiyin side did well both in attack and defence for the home side as he was active on the flank. He did well to defend against the threat fo Everton Santos as well.
Bikramjit Singh (5.5/10) - The defensive midfielder played alongside Germanpreet Singh in the Chennaiyin setup to curb the attacking threat of Mumbai in the centre. He was replaced in the second half by Anirudh Thapa.
Germanpreet Singh (6/10) - The former Minerva Punjab FC midfielder played the defensive role for the Chennaiyin side alongside Bikramjit Singh and did well to stop plays developing in the midfield.
Jaime Gavilan (7.5/10) - The skipper for tonight, Gavilan was great in the midfield for Chennaiyin FC as he moved around the box making life difficult for the Mumbai defenders. He earned the penalty for the home side when he was brought down inside the box by Mehrajuddin Wadoo.
Rene Mihelic (7.5/10) - The Slovenian was the creative centre for the Chennaiyin FC side as he kept looking for the attackers with threatening passes. He scored from the spot for the home side after Wadoo had brought down Gavilan inside the box.
Jude Nworuh (6.5/10) - The Nigerian played on the flanks for the home side and was a threat with his pace. He made a lot of runs into the Mumbai box and had some efforts on the goal.
Mohd. Rafi (5.5/10) - The former Kerala Blasters FC man was the target man in the box for Chennaiyin FC and was always a threat during setpieces owing to his heading prowess.
Substitutes:
Anirudh Thapa (4.5/10) - The Indian international replaced Bikramjit Singh in the midfield as Gregory introduced fresh legs into the midfield.
Baoringdao Bodo (4/10) - The youngster replaced the goalscorer Rene Mihelic in the midfield for the final twenty minutes of the match.
Sanjay Balmuchu (3/10) - The former FC Goa man made his debut for the Chennaiyin side as he replaced the skipper Gavilan for the final five minutes of the match.