ISL 2017, Match 23, FC Pune City vs Bengaluru FC: Player Ratings
Bengaluru FC came back from a goal down to emerge as 3-1 victors over FC Pune City at the Balewadi stadium. Albert Roca's men took full use of their numerical advantage, after Baljit Sahni was sent off for a unnecessary tackle which resulted in a second yellow, and registered their fourth win of the season.
Pune City took the lead through Adil Khan in the 36th minute but ended up as the losing side after goals from Miku (2) and Sunil Chhetri in the second half ensured that the Blues scripted a glorious comeback on the night.
Here we take a look at how the players from both sides fared during the match:
FC Pune City:
Vishal Kaith - 5/10
The Pune City shot-stopper was helped out by his defenders on a few occasions and looked a little nervy while making some crucial decisions inside his penalty area.
Baljit Sahni - 4/10
Despite starting the game really well, Baljit was punished in the second half for his disciplinary problems when he was sent off for a second yellow card after a foul on Braulio. The defender's act of ill-discipline cost his side a valuable three points on the night.
Rafael Lopez - 6/10
The Spaniard was simply outstanding on the night and showed great resilience in the first half. However, the disadvantage in numbers proved too much for him on the night and he could do nothing as Bengaluru slowly got back to their best.
Gurtej Singh - 5/10
Gurtej also started the game well but he could not keep up with the flurry of attacks launched by Bengaluru towards the end of the game. The defender showed signs of tiredness towards the dying moments of the game and was exploited by the fresh legs introduced by Albert Roca.
Sarthak Golui - 6/10
The full-back did well to keep Chhetri at bay during the first half but he could not keep the intensity throughout the duration of the game as Pune slowly let the game slip out of their hands.
Adil Khan - 7/10
Adil displayed yet another commanding performance in midfield and was one of Pune's best players on the night. The midfielder did well to find himself unmarked inside the Bengaluru penalty area to score the first goal and showed great composure on and off the ball.
Marcos Tebar - 6/10
Tebar was neat and tidy in possession in the first half but he eventually faded off when the Stallions were reduced to 10 men and could not cope up to the bodies Bengaluru threw forward in search of goals.
Issac Vanmalsawma - 7/10
The winger did really well to find little pockets of space inside the final third and operated intelligently on the left flank to provide a wonderful assist to Adil Khan for the opening goal. Its a shame that he was subbed off due to what it seemed like an ankle injury in the first half.
Jonatan Lucca - 5/10
Lucca was not his usual self on the night and could not operate effectively whenever he found himself in space inside the opponent's half. Surprisingly, his delivery from set-pieces were also below par.
Diego Carlos - 6/10
Carlos was a live-wire down the right flank for Pune and caused all kinds of trouble to the Bengaluru full-back. However, he missed a great opportunity to extend Pune's lead when he failed to hit the target following a pass from Alfaro which could turn out to be an incident that is biting him back at the moment,
Emiliano Alfaro - 6/10
The Uruguayan looked lively in the first half but he could have been helped with a little more service from the players around him. The absence of Marcelinho affected him and Alfaro had to try and make things happen on his own at a few instances.
Substitutes
Kean Lewis - 5/10
Lewis made his fifth appearance from the bench when he replaced the injured Issac in the first half. However, the winger was forced to make up for the numerical disadvantage and played catchup for the majority of the game.
Ashique Kuruniyan - 5/10
The striker also came on in the second half when Ranko Popovic made a gamble by trying to inject some pace into the line-up but the youngster could offer nothing apart from a few daring runs.
Damir Grgic - 4/10
Grgic failed to make any impact whatsover after replacing Alfaro and hardly enjoyed any notable involvement on the ball.