Chennaiyin FC 2-4 Bengaluru FC - Player Ratings
Bengaluru FC piped Chennaiyin FC 4-2 in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Wednesday in a game headlined by goalkeeping errors on both ends. With the victory, the Blues have now jumped to eighth in the ISL table with nine points.
Chennaiyin FC started the game on the front foot and took the lead in the fourth minute of the game. The Marina Machans were building out from their own half when Germanpreet Singh launched the ball upfield. Mirlan Murzaev got on the end of it, danced past two Bengaluru FC defenders and slotted it past a helpless Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Bengaluru FC boss Marco Pezzaiuoli quickly rectified a tactical error after conceding a goal. He brought on Udanta Singh in place of Ajith Kamaraj. Since then the game turned on its head. Although Chennaiyin FC, through Rahim Ali, tested Sandhu a few times, Bengaluru FC found the equalizer.
A crucial win for @bengalurufc against @ChennaiyinFC as we conclude the final game of 2021! 🔥
Watch the recap of the match, ICYMI! 📽
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Ashique Kuruniyan tried to cross the ball when it hit Jerry Lalrinzuala's hand, which seemed to be tucked into his body. But the referee deemed it a penalty and Cleiton Silva made no mistake from the spot.
In the 43rd minute, Bengaluru doubled their lead through Alan Costa. Chennaiyin FC shot-stopper Vishal Kaith made a mess of a regulation outing from a corner-kick.
Coming out after the second-half, Chennaiyin FC yet again upped the ante as they leveled the scores through Rahim Ali. The former Mohun Bagan forward bagged a much-deserved goal. It came from a howler from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
However, Chennaiyin FC were unable to maintain parity until the final whistle. Bengaluru FC pulled ahead in the 70th minute through Udanta Singh. Four minutes later Pratik Chowdhary scored again for Bengaluru FC after Vishal Kaith failed to claim the ball.
The loss now leaves Chennaiyin FC down in sixth spot with 11 points. They have lost two back-to-back matches and face Jamshedpur FC next.
On that note, let's look at the player ratings for the game:
Chennaiyin FC
Vishal Kaith (4): To sugarcoat it, Vishal Kaith had a night to forget. Two of Bengaluru FC's goals came directly from two howlers from the Chennaiyin FC shot-stopper.
Reagan Singh (6): Lost the ball multiple times, came out second best in a lot of his duels.
Rahim Ali (7.5): The 21-year-old striker could've had a hat-trick if he was clinical tonight. But he constantly kept peppering the Bengaluru FC keeper with snap shots. Finally, had his goal in the second half from a Gurpreet Sandu error.
Anirudh Thapa (6.5): Anirudh Thapa covered a lot of the pitch but failed to contribute in the creative department.
Ariel Borysiuk (6.5): Borysiuk looked solid defensively during his time on the pitch but the Polish centre-back had to be subbed off with an injury.
Mirlan Murzaev (9): Murzaev was the pick of the players tonight. Scored a wonderful solo effort early in the first half to put Chennaiyin FC ahead. The Kyrgyzstani international also set up Rahim Ali's goal. Looked lively whenever he got on the ball, even deep into the second half.
Jerry Lalrinzuala (6.5): Conceded the penalty, although Jerry knew very little about it. Worked hard up and down the pitch and made crucial defensive blocks.
Narayan Das (6): Narayan Das was not at his best on the night but looked solid going into the duels.
Slavko Damjanovic (6.5): Poor in possession of the ball. But Damjanovic held the defense together when Chennaiyin FC went to a four at the back formation.
Germanpreet Singh (7): Grabbed the assist for Chennaiyin FC's first goal and looked solid in the middle of the park.
Vladimir Koman (6.5): Was poor with progressive passes but stepped in with crucial interceptions.
Substitutes:
Lukasz Gikiewicz (6): Came on instead of the injured Borysiuk but failed to make his mark. Was marshaled well by Roshan Naorem on the flanks.
Edwin Vanspaul (6.5): Looked lively in the 30 odd minutes he was on the field. Chipped in with a few defensive contributions but lacked clarity in the final third.
Lallianzuala Chhangte (6.5): Replaced Rahim Ali, but Chhangte couldn't get on the ball much. Although he tried to make things happen whenever he found an opportunity.
Click here for yesterday ISL Match results.
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Sandhu (5.5): An error from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu led to the second ball from Chennaiyin FC. However, the India number one made some crucial stops in the first half.
Alan Costa (8): While he might be thanking his stars for grabbing a goal tonight, Alan Costa was sensational in the heart of the Bengaluru FC defense. Stepped in with 10 clearances in the game to keep matters tight at the back.
Bruno Silva (7): Was not his finest display passing wise, but Bruno Silva had his presence felt in the midfield with his defensive display.
Jayesh Rane (6): Didn't have the best of games as Rane misplaced a couple passes.
Suresh Wangjam (7): Suresh Wangjam complemented Bruno Silva well in the middle of the park. Maintained a healthy pass completion rate and also made a contribution in defense.
Prince Ibara (6): The big man was poor on the ball and misplaced multiple passes but tried to be a constant nuisance in the Chennaiyin FC half.
Ajith Kamaraj (5.5): Was taken off by the coach in the 26th minute. But Ajith looked vulnerable on and off the ball during his limited time on the pitch.
Ashique Kuruniyan (6.5): Lacked the final pass but showed a commendable workrate.
Cleiton Silva (7): Scored from the spot to equalize from Bengaluru FC. Also bagged the assist for Alan Costa's goal but Vishal Kaith had a major part to play in that.
Parag Shrivas (6.5): Was beaten on multiple occasions and had to be covered by Alan Costa.
2️⃣ Chances created
5️⃣ Tackles
6️⃣ Clearances
Watch the best bits from @bengalurufc's Roshan Naorem as he won the Hero of the Match award for his performance against Chennaiyin FC 👏
#CFCBFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball https://t.co/zl21vgLlMK
Roshan Naorem (7): The 22-year-old full-back held his own against Lukasz Gikiewicz and was solid defensively.
Substitutes:
Udanta Singh (7.5): Replaced Ajith Kamaraj early on in the first half and made his impact felt throughout the game. He constantly kept Chennaiyin FC fullbacks occupied and finally bagged a deserving goal.
Sunil Chhetri (6.5): Chhetri came on instead of Prince Ibarra and contributed well both defensively and offensively. Played a crucial part in the build-up to Bengaluru FC's third goal.
Danish Farooq (6.5): Assisted Udanta Singh's goal and looked solid and powerful in possession.
Pratik Chowdhary (7): Grabbed Bengaluru FC's fourth goal, albeit from a Chennaiyin FC goalkeeping error. Didn't do much wrong after coming on.
Rohit Kumar (NA): Didn't have much time to impact the game after coming on late in the second half.