Ratings: Prasanth, Jiteshwor shine as Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru FC share spoils

Debjit Majumder saw a straight red in the 82nd minute.

A 10-man Chennaiyin FC came from behind to hold Bengaluru FC to a draw at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. Both teams entered this clash on the back of a winning start to ISL 2022-23. It was Roy Krishna who put Bengaluru FC ahead as early as the fourth minute, heading home a gorgeous assist from Sivasakthi.

Chennaiyin FC came close to finding the equaliser twice through Petar Sliskovic and eventually levelled the scores when the Croatian sent Prasanth through on goal in first-half injury time. The Marina Machans should have taken the lead after the break, but floundered and nearly paid a price for their slackness when goalkeeper Debjit Majumder was shown a straight red for bringing down Roy Krishna outside the box with eight minutes remaining. Krishna was then through on goal.

With Chennaiyin FC having used all of their three available substitution slots, defender Vafa Hakhamaneshi put on the gloves. Chennaiyin FC eventually held on as did Bengaluru FC, who were lucky to see a late shot from Kwame Karikari fly over the bar, and settled for a point each. Here is how the players of both teams fared in the match.

Chennaiyin FC (By M Sudharshan)

Debjit Majumder - 6

Debjit Majumdar had a quiet game apart from the one goal conceded. He received a straight red card in the 82nd minute for a foul on Roy Krisha in a one-on-one situation.

Narayan Das - 7

Narayan Das had a pretty good match putting in good crosses from the left flank. He controlled the aerial balls well along with an interception and two tackles.

Vafa Hakhamaneshi - 7

The Iranian was strong putting in five interceptions and a block in the match. He also pitched in a goalkeeper after Debjit's red card and did not concede a goal.

Fallou Diagne - 6.5

Fallou Diagne like his previous encounter against ATK Mohun Bagan had a solid game putting in one interception and two tackles.

Ajith Kumar - 6.5

Ajith Kumar stood strong in the right-back position and showed much improvement from the previous encounter.

Anirudh Thapa - 6.5

The Chennaiyin FC captain was good with his passes but not so good with his first touches. Overall Anirudh had one shot off target and also won a few ground duels at the back.

Julius Duker - 7

Julius Duker put in his best performance holding the ball and at times taking the ball forward and providing a few gorgeous passes.

Jiteshwor Singh - 6.5

The midfielder covered the whole ground from defence to attack and was very accurate with his crosses. He was electric in the first half winning crucial balls.

K.Prasanth - 7.5

K.Prasanth scored the only goal for Chennaiyin FC. Prasanth controlled the ball well compared to the previous match.

Rahim Ali - 6

The forward like his previous games ventured across the ground from defence to forward positions. He got one chance but that was off target.

Petar Sliskovic - 6.5

Peter Sliskovic put in a good effort compared to the previous game against ATK Mohun Bagan. Overall he had three shots on target and two shots off target putting Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh under pressure.

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Substitutes

Edwin Sydney Vanspaul - 6

Edwin Vanspaul replaced K.Prasanth and had a decent game blocking a shot.

Kwame Karikari - 6

Kwame came on as a substitute and should have scored the winner in the dying minutes but couldn't convert.

Ninthoi Meetei - 5.5

After being out of the squad in the previous game Ninthoi Meetei earned some valuable gametime. 

Jockson Dhas - 5

Jockson Das came on very late but put in a decent effort in defence when Chennaiyin FC were reduced to 10 men.

Bengaluru FC (By JN Balraj)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK) - 7.5

The towering custodian was at his best on the night. Gurpreet made five saves all from inside the box. He also attempted 33 passes to initiate direct attacks. 

Alan Costa - 6.5

The last match’s hero Alan Costa had a quiet outing going forward. The defender was heavily marked but still came close enough to score from a corner again. Defensively Costa made two interceptions and one tackle.

Sandesh Jhingan - 6

The seasoned defender was troubled by Slisković a lot. He left spaces in the central channel while getting carried out of position by Slisković. Consequently, the space was exploited by Prasanth in the equaliser.

Aleksandar Jovanovic - 7

The defender filled in as a left-sided centre-back in the line-up. Aleksandar made astonishing clearances and last-line blocks to keep the Chennaiyin FC attackers at bay throughout the match. He also made three crucial interceptions.

Prabir Das - 6

The speedster is yet to get to his best and exploit defences. Prabir was wasteful with the final balls in attacking third. Also, his ball-carrying ability was under sub-par in the game. Eventually, he was substituted at the hour mark to accommodate Udanta Singh.

Suresh Wangjam - 6

Suresh Singh’s work rate was commendable as usual but the results were missing. The youngster played 25 successful passes but was not clinical with the decision-making.

Bruno Ramires - 7

The Brazilian midfielder was physical in the middle of the park. He won two aerial duels and five ground duels. Bruno also completed one successful dribble and three long balls.

Roshan Singh - 6.5

The young wing-back was influential with his magical left-foot crosses and deliveries. Roshan Singh constantly threatened Chennaiyin FC's defence and Prasanth had to track back to nullify the young prodigy.

Sivasakthi Narayanan - 6.5

The Young gun is slowly and steadily getting his foot in the league. Sivasakthi assisted the opener, scored by striking partner Roy Krishna. The forward won a foul in a dangerous area as well.

Sunil Chhetri - 6.5

The Bengaluru FC captain was lacking goal-scoring instincts which is quite rare to say. Chhetri created one big chance in the game and completed one dribble.

Roy Krishna - 7

Roy Krishna opened his goalscoring account for the Blues with a beautifully placed header in the opening minutes. He went missing since then and was struggling against the disciplined Chennaiyin FC side.

Substitutes

Jayesh Rane - 6.5

Jayesh Rane made two tackles defensively on the pitch. He brought composure to the Bengaluru FC side which was lacking in the first half.

Udanta Singh - 6.5

The winger was influential in the half an hour he got under his belt. Udanta created one big chance and completed a successful dribble.

Parag Shrivas - 6.5

The defender was brought in to replace Alan Costa to accommodate Javi in the attack. Parag played his role finely and did not commit to opposition attackers.

Javi Hernandez - 6

The Spanish wizard had a lacklustre 15 minutes against the Marina Machans. Javi attempted one cross and played one direct ball.