Mumbai City FC 0-1 Bengaluru FC: Islanders Player ratings as first leg of ISL 2022-23 semifinal ends in home defeat

Sunil Chhetri was the hero once again as Bengaluru FC beat Mumbai City FC 1-0 in the first leg of their ISL 2022-23 semifinal clash at the Mumbai Football Arena on Tuesday (March 7).

The hosts understandably started on the front foot and created a handful of chances but struggled with their shooting throughout. Bengaluru, meanwhile, grew into the game and won on the night thanks to Chhetri's header from a corner in the 78th minute.

79' THAT MAN AGAIN! Chhetri wriggles free in the box and nods home from Roshan's corner. Bengaluru lead! 0-1.

#WeAreBFC #MCFCBFC #NothingLikeIt https://t.co/MNAnhy7y4m

The defeat means Mumbai City have it all to do in the second leg in Bangalore on Sunday (March 12). Des Buckingham's side have also now won just one of their last five games and lost twice to the Blues in less than a month.

Here are the player ratings for the Islanders from the game:

Phurba Lachenpa - 7/10

Lachenpa was thoroughly beaten by Chhetri for the winner but was excellent otherwise, making six stops. His save off the Bengaluru talisman in stoppage time prevented the visitors from taking a two-goal cushion into the second leg.

94' | SAVE!

WHAT A SAVE FROM PHURBA!

A brilliant near-post stop denies Chhetri from close range!

MCFC 0⃣-1⃣ BFC

#MCFCBFC #CityOfChampions #TrophyLekeAa #MumbaiCity #AamchiCity 🔵

Vignesh Dakshinamurthy - 6/10

Dakshinamurthy's passing has improved with every game he has played this season and seemed to be on point in the first half. However, the Mumbai City left-back's influence waned in a quiet second period.

Mourtada Fall - 7/10

Fall was dominant in the air and composed on the ball throughout, recording six clearances, four interceptions and six duels.

Mehtab Singh - 7/10

Singh also put in a decent shift but was pulled apart by the movement of the Bengaluru forwards. as his side committed men forward after going behind. He still came up with a couple of key interceptions and tackles to keep the Blues at bay.

Rahul Bheke - 6.5/10

Bheke struggled to contain Naorem Roshan Singh in the second half as the visitors repeatedly bombed forward down their left flank. However, he mostly did his job and also whipped in a couple of dangerous crosses for the Mumbai City forwards.

Greg Stewart - 6.5/10

Stewart got on the ball quite a bit as expected, recording a game-high four key passes. He also won two fouls and completed 77% of his passes. However, the Scot, like those ahead of him on the field, was poor with his shooting, getting just one of his five shots on target. He also lost the ball 26 times.

Ahmed Jahouh - 7.5/10

Jahouh was arguably Mumbai City's best player on the night. He showed composure and quality on the ball, making a few Hollywood passes as well on his way to three key passes.

The Moroccan also recorded three dribbles, two tackles and an interception but got himself booked. He will be walking a tight rope in the second leg.

Lalengmawia Ralte - 7/10

Apuia was influential early on, winning the ball back high and starting moves for Mumbai City. However, Bengaluru seemed to mark him out of the game for large swathes of the second half.

He still managed a game-high five tackles, won seven of his eight duels and completed 86% of his passes.

Bipin Singh - 6/10

Bipin Singh was expertly marshalled by the experienced Prabir Das for most of the game. In the moments that he seemed to threaten, Bengaluru's imposing three-man backline kept him at bay in a largely frustrating outing.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 6/10

Pereyra Diaz stayed in the box, dropped deep and did everything in between to try and get Mumbai on the board. However, the visitors' backline remained rock solid and restricted him to just two shots (one on target). He did record two key passes but won just four of his 11 aerial duels.

Lallianzuala Chhangte - 5.5/10

Chhangte endured a below-par outing in the Islanders' biggest game of the ISL 2022-23 season. He skied two good opportunities to test Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and couldn't create much for his teammates either.

Ratings of Mumbai City FC Substitutes

Alberto Noguera (Jahouh 68') - 5/10

Noguera seemed to take a little too much time on the ball when Mumbai City were chasing the game. He also failed to mark Chhetri properly for Bengaluru's goal.

Vikram Pratap Singh (Bipin 75') - 6/10

Vikram played a couple of dangerous crosses into the box but couldn't do much to unlock the Blues' backline.

Ayush Chhikara (Ralte 81') - 6/10

Chhikara registered a shot on target with a tame flick-on but got only three more touches on the ball after that.