Ratings: East Bengal foreigners shines, NorthEast United clueless

The Red & Golds defeated the Highlanders for the first time in the ISL.

NorthEast United were handed another defeat in front of their home fans as East Bengal paid a visit to Guwahati. The Kolkata club were all over the Highlanders as they put up a demolishing performance at the Sarusajai with an emphatic 1-3 victory.

Cleiton Silva opened the scoring for the Red & Golds before Charis Kyriakou and Jordan O’Doherty scored the second and third, respectively. NorthEast United kept on pushing bodies forward, but ran out of ideas as usual. The only takeaway for them is that they’ve scored their first goal of the season, thanks to Matt Derbyshire.

https://youtu.be/BU0u_1P1tKI

On that note, we take a look at how the players performed.

NorthEast United (By Yash Pratap Singh)

Arindam Bhattacharya - 5.5

The former India international couldn’t keep a clean sheet yet again for his side. He was below par with his performance and let in simple goals. You certainly expect better from him.

Mohamad Irshad - 4.0

His mistake helped East Bengal score the first goal. Irshad was pathetic with his passing and gave away the ball every time. In short, he cost his side the game.

Gaurav Bora - 6.0

Bora put up a very average show and almost gave East Bengal a goal with a defensive mistake. All in all, he made four clearances and two blocks.

Michael Jakobsen - 6.0

The skipper put up an ordinary performance tonight. He couldn’t help his team from conceding two goals. However, Jakobsen was really good with his passing - 89% accurate.

Gurjinder Kumar - 6.0

Gurjinder made overlapping runs on the left flank. He won the majority of his ground and aerial duels and even had a shot on target blocked by East Bengal’s defence.

Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha - 7.0

He won the ball in crucial positions in the middle of the park and looked lively. Emanuel worked his socks off, entered the box multiple times and made four tackles and one clearance in the process.

Jon Gaztanaga - 7.0

The Spaniard was everywhere across the pitch. He came back to help his defenders and even went ahead to contribute in attack in Romain’s absence. He maintained a passing accuracy of 81% and even made crucial defensive contributions.

Romain Philippoteaux - N/A

He showed his quality and skills in bits and pieces, but had to be taken off before half-time due to an injury.

Rochharzela - 6.5

He sent the ball into the box, was good with his dribbling and even entered the box a few times. Chhara also executed two key passes and created good looking moves, but didn’t have anything to show for his efforts.

Matt Derbyshire - 7.0

It seems that the Englishman is actually very unlucky. He has hit the woodwork twice in as many games. But, he did eventually score in stoppage time with a header.

Jithin MS - 6.5

He made good runs, but was impatient and wasted all the chances. Jithin operated on either flanks. He created a big chance and even executed two key passes throughout the 90 minutes.

Substitutes

Emil Benny - 7.0

He came on just before half-time to replace Romain who was taken off due to an injury. Emil made an immediate impact after coming on by testing the keeper with a shot from outside the box. Benny assisted the first goal for NEUFC in the 2022-23 season.

Aaron Evans - 6.5

Evans replaced Irshad at the right-back position. He played much better than the latter and even made overlapping runs. The big Aussie made a few crucial blocks, interceptions and clearances.

Imran Khan - 6.5

Imran came off the bench for the third successive game. He could have scored within 60 seconds of his introduction, but his shot went wide. He kept on trying and had a couple of more chances, but couldn’t convert any of those.

Joe Zoherliana - 6.5

Joe made his first appearance of the season by replacing Gurjinder Kumar in the second half. The right back completed all of his 12 attempted passes including four long balls.

Sylvester - 7.0

The Nigerian finally made his debut for the Highlanders. He came on in the second half as a replacement for Michael Jakobsen. Slyvester looked lively ever since his introduction and gave the fans a glimpse of what he brings to the table.

East Bengal FC (By Souvari Paul)

Kamaljit Singh - 6.5

Kamaljit had a mixed day today. He was unable to keep a clean sheet and made a howler towards the end of the first half which could have been costly. Barring that, he made two saves and two clearances. 

Sarthak Golui - 8

The entire defence of East Bengal played well today, with Sarthak being no exception. He provided stability to East Bengal’s right side. He had 64 touches, made three successful tackles, six clearances, and two interceptions. He also aided in creating two chances.  

Lalchungnunga - 7.5

Lalchungnunga had a very good game in the middle of East Bengal’s defence. He made 12 clearances, three interceptions, and blocked three shots. 

Ivan Gonzalez - 7

Ivan played quite well at the heart of East Bengal’s defence and ensured that the team did not concede more than once. He made seven clearances, blocked one shot, and made a tackle and an interception each. He could have done a better regarding the goal East Bengal conceded. 

Jerry Lalrinzuala  - 7.5

Jerry also had a very good outing on the left flank. He made three tackles, four clearances, and one interception. On the offence, he kept running along the left flank and provided two crosses. His crosses were looking dangerous at times.

VP Suhair - 8

Suhair’s game in an unusual position was very good. He kept the opposition defenders on their toes with his threatening presence in the midfield. He provided the assist for the second goal. The 30-year-old created three chances, provided five crosses, and took three shots throughout the game. But, his fitness needs to improve.

Jordan O’Doherty - 8

O’Doherty opened his scoring today with East Bengal’s third goal. He was impactful in both attack and defence and made three successful tackles, three interceptions and one block. His presence was also a constant threat to NorthEast’s defenders. 

Charalambos Kyriakou - 8.5

Kyriakou was arguably the best player on the pitch. He played as the fulcrum of East Bengal’s midfield and scored once. Similar to O’Doherty, he contributed to both East Bengal’s attack and defence and made three successful tackles and interceptions. 

Naorem Mahesh Singh - 7

Naorem’s day at the office was quite good as he provided the first assist of the game. He also contributed defensively by making two successful tackles. 

Cleiton Silva - 8

Cleiton kissed his top form (in EB colours) in today’s game. He constantly created problems for NorthEast’s defence. He scored the first goal for his side. Apart from that, he took five shots in total, most of which looked threatening. His runs toward the NEUFC penalty box were also a cause of worry for the Highlanders. 

Semboi Haokip - 6.5

Haokip was one of the few underwhelming players for East Bengal tonight. His contribution to the side’s gameplay were not really up to the mark.

Substitutes 

Tuhin Das - 5.5

Tuhin did not have a good day as he only had seven touches in 24 minutes. He was also not able to contribute to the side’s attacks. 

Alex Lima - N/A

Alex Lima got only 13 minutes on the pitch, which was not enough to add any extra thrust to a team already performing well. 

Mobashir Rahman - 7

After coming on late as a substitute, Mobashir provided the assist for East Bengal's last goal. He also aided the side defensively.

Ankit Mukherjee - N/A

Ankit came on the pitch in the 90th minute, by which East Bengal had already sealed the game.

Wahengbam Angousana - N/A

The case is same with Angou as well, who came on at the end of the game.