Mumbai City FC 1-0 SC East Bengal: Player Ratings as Islanders keep slender top-four hopes alive

Mumbai City FC players celebrate Bipin Singh's goal against SC East Bengal. [Credits: ISL]

Mumbai City FC edged SC East Bengal 1-0 in the ISL earlier tonight (February 22). Bipin Singh scored the only goal of the match six minutes after half-time to take the Islanders back into the top four.

The Red and Gold Brigade were the better ISL team in the first half but didn't take their chances and were made to suffer for it. They remain bottom of the standings with nothing left to play for except pride.

Here are the player ratings from the match:

Mumbai City FC

Mohammad Nawaz - 6/10

Nawaz had a couple of nervy moments as he gave the ball away and botched a couple of clearances. However, he commanded the Mumbai City FC box fairly well and made five saves, with his effort to keep out Raju Gaikwad's bicycle kick standing out.

80' - WHAT A SAVE!

Gaikwad's acrobatic effort is saved on the line by the brilliant Nawaz! 🤩

#MCFCSCEB #MumbaiCity #AamchiCity 🔵

Vignesh Dakshinamurthy - 6/10

Dakshinamurthy was much better going forward against SC East Bengal than he has been this season and lacked just the final pass. He was troubled by Mahesh Singh initially in defense but recovered well once the winger was taken off.

Mehtab Singh - 6.5/10

Mehtab Singh put in a decent shift to help Mumbai City FC keep a clean sheet. He won five of his eight duels, made two clearances and a tackle to thwart the Red and Gold Brigade.

Mourtada Fall - 7/10

Fall recovered from a slightly off-the-pace start to put in an excellent performance at the heart of defense. He made five clearances and won nine aerial duels (both team-high figures) to help his side keep a clean sheet.

40' - Mahesh's shot on target is deflected over the crossbar by Fall's header!

#MCFCSCEB #MumbaiCity #AamchiCity 🔵

Rahul Bheke - 6/10

Bheke didn't pose too many questions going forward but was solid at the back.

Brad Inman - 6.5/10

Inman struggled to consistently break the SC East Bengal midfield line but eventually got the assist for his side's goal with a neat pass. He didn't do too much otherwise, but managed to complete 93% of his attempted passes.

Lalengmawia Ralte - 7/10

Ralte, as always, did the dirty work in defensive midfield to allow his team to flourish. He completed 87% of his passes, won six duels and also made two tackles and clearances apiece to lock Mumbai City FC's midfield in the second half.

Bipin Singh - 7.5/10

Bipin Singh took his goal extremely well, firing in a venomous left-footed finish from outside the box. The goal seemed to give him confidence as he drove at the SC East Bengal defense, laying out a key pass and creating one big chance.

Still thinking about THAT goal 😍

#MCFCSCEB #MumbaiCity #AamchiCity 🔵 https://t.co/J9VdI5Kf47

Cassio Gabriel - 5.5/10

Gabriel often looked bereft of creativity, though he did display some fancy footwork on the ball. He did manage two key passes but lost the ball 19 times and recorded no shots on target for Mumbai City FC.

His miss late on when he ballooned a one-on-one chance over the bar after being put through by a mistake from Franjo Prce basically summed up his night.

Lallianzuala Chhangte - 6/10

Chhangte did do some damage down his flank at times, but as has often been the case, those were momentary and inconsistent. He managed three key passes and won a couple of fouls against SC East Bengal.

Igor Angulo - 5/10

Angulo struggled upfront and never really looked at the top of his game against SC East Bengal. He had no shots on target, managed just 13 touches and completed only two of his five passes.

Catch the next match on the ISL fixtures here.

Substitutes

Diego Mauricio - 6/10

Mauricio came on for Angulo in the 65th minute. He offered more of a physical presence upfront for Mumbai City FC but didn't really have many chances to score.

Vinit Rai - 6/10

Rai replaced Inman in the 74th minute. He helped the Islanders keep the ball late on as they held on for a nervy victory.

Vikram Pratap Singh - N/A

Pratap Singh came on for Chhangte in the 90th minute. He did get a few touches but didn't have enough time to impact the game.

Raynier Fernandes - N/A

Fernandes replaced Gabriel in the 90th minute. He too didn't have enough touches on the pitch to impact the game.