Jamshedpur FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: Player ratings as Greg Stewart's brace spoils Ivan Vukomanovic's party
Jamshedpur FC hosted Kerala Blasters FC at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim for a second leg fixture in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Sitting outside the top 4, it was understandable that Owen Coyle would do anything at his disposal to get 3 points from the game. The Men of Steel were a different side against the Tuskers.
Owen Coyle's team pressed their opposition right from the start and made it difficult for Kerala Blasters FC to settle into the game. Denechandram Meitei pulled Greg Stewart down in his box and the referee made no error in awarding a penalty to Jamshedpur FC. The Men of Steel went back to the dressing room with a one-goal advantage.
Jamshedpur FC were equally bright in the second half. The Jamshedpur-based side extended their lead courtesy of another Greg Stewart penalty. This time it was Marko Leskovic who brought down Boris inside his box. Daniel Chima Chukwu added the third for his new side and finished the game off for Kerala Blasters FC.
On that note, let us take a look at the player ratings from this match.
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Jamshedpur FC
TP Rehenesh (6): TP Rehenesh had a decent game against the Tuskers. He was not too troubled by the opposition.
Laldinliana Renthlei (6): Laldanliana has become a very dependable character in the Jamshedpur FC dressing room because of his abilities.
Peter Hartley (7): Peter Hartley made his comeback with a leader-like performance. The defender was very active and developed an unbreachable wall along with Eli Sabia.
Eli Sabia (7): The defender was decisive inside the box and did not allow Alvaro Vasquez or Adrian Luna to cause any problems to his goalkeeper.
Ricky Lallawmawma (6): The Jamshedpur FC full-back was technically sound in his game and this aided his team during transitions.
Boris Singh (7): The young winger was lively on the right flank and tried to create chances for Chima inside the box. His pace caused the Kerala Blasters FC defense all sorts of problems.
Pronay Halder (6.5): Pronay was rock-solid in midfield. He was responsible for screening the centre-backs and was very effective in doing so.
Jitendra Singh (6.5): The unsung hero of Jamshedpur FC. Jitendra broke down the opposition attacks and quickly launched counters for his own team.
Ritwik Das (7.5): Ritwik Das had a great game. The winger was deployed on the left-flank and troubled Harmanjot Khabra for the entire game. He almost scored a stunner after dribbling inside but was slightly off-target.
Greg Stewart (7.5): Owen Coyle was able to unleash Greg's true potential by allowing him a free role behind Chima in the Jamshedpur FC line-up. The attacking midfielder was back among the goals and was influential in moving the ball into the final third.
Daniel Chima Chukwu (7): Daniel Chima has been a completely different player under Owen Coyle. He scored a brilliant goal to extend his side's lead against the Yellow Tuskers.
Substitutes
PC Laldinpuia (N/A): Had a decent game. Made no significant impact on the game.
Seiminlen Doungel (6): Doungel had a decent game for the Men of Steel. He made no significant contribution to the game.
Alexandre Lima (7): Alexandre Lima came off the bench and controlled the game very well, both in the attacking phase and the defensive phase.
Mobashir Rahman (7): With every passing game, Owen Coyle's opinion on Mobashir is turning out to be fact. The central midfielder is a quiet yet very efficient player and an asset to Jamshedpur FC.
Ishan Pandita (6.5): The young forward always manages to display his hunger for goals. Unfortunately, he could not add to his tally against Ivan Vukomanovic's side.
Kerala Blasters FC
Prabhsukhan Gill (6): Prabhsukhan Gill had a decent game. The Kerala Blasters FC custodian did his homework on Greg Stewart's set-piece but missed out on the penalties.
Enes Sipovic (6): Enes had a good game but the defender looked rusty on certain occasions.
Marko Leskovic (5.5): Until before this match, he was considered a defender who had not been dribbled past by anyone in the league. But Boris changed that after the game. The defender looked out of shape on plenty of occasions.
Harmanjot Singh Khabra (5.5): Harmanjot had a poor outing against Owen Coyle's men. He could not continue the overlap and was mostly outplayed by Ritwik Das.
Denechandram Meitei (5.5): Kerala Blasters FC's left full-back had an extremely bad day at the office and convinced Ivan Vukomanovic to take him off after a poor display.
Vincy Barreto (5.5): Vincy was deployed to bother Jamshedpur FC with his pace but the winger was hardly able to utilize his skillset to support his ISL team.
Jeakson Singh (6.5): Jeakson Singh played a good game for Kerala Blasters FC. He minimized his teammates' inability to cope up with the game.
Lalthathanga Khawlhring (5.5): The midfielder failed to cope up with the demands of the game.
Sahal Abdul Samad (5.5): Very little of Sahal Abdul Samad could be seen today. He made a few good runs inside the box but was unable to make anything out of them.
Adrian Luna (6): Adrian Luna never has a bad day. The attacking midfielder's performance against Jamshedpur FC could be termed average at worst.
Alvaro Vasquez (5.5): The Kerala Blasters FC striker failed to do any kind of damage in the absence of his strike partner.
Substitutes
Sandip Singh (5.5): Sandip Singh was equally as inefficient as his predecessor. The full-back had nervy moments in the defensive third that could have allowed the opposition to capitalize.
Ruivah Hormipam (N/A): Spent very little time in the game. Had to be stretchered out due to an injury.
Givson Singh (N/A): Givson had a decent game coming on towards the end of the second half.
Prasanth Karuthadathkuni (6): The substitute had a decent game for Kerala Blasters FC, replacing Vincy at the start of the second half.
Chencho Gyeltshen (5.5): Chencho was unable to threaten the opposition after coming off the bench.