Ratings: Vafa Hakhamaneshi the difference as Chennaiyin FC beat East Bengal

The victory also helped the Marina Machans complete a double over the two Kolkata clubs in their own den.

It was another defeat for East Bengal as Chennaiyin FC won Friday's ISL fixture by a margin of 1-0. Even though the match lacked clear opportunities for both sides, it was again a lapse in concentration on the part of East Bengal that cost them the game. The game also saw red cards being shown to a player from each team.

Vafa Hakhamaneshi, who was already on a yellow by then, scored the winner for Chennaiyin FC in the 69th minute and saw a second yellow card for his goal celebration to get marching orders leaving the Red and Golds with a numerical advantage. However, East Bengal soon squandered the advantage as their right-back Sarthak Golui saw a second yellow soon after. Ultimately, it was the Marina Machans who had the last laugh as they won by a slender margin.

On that note, let us take a look at how players from both sides played in the game.

East Bengal FC (By Souvari Paul)

Kamaljit Singh - 7.0

Kamaljit looked far better today than he did in the game against ATK Mohun Bagan. He faced three shots on goal, out of which he saved two. Kamaljit made one clearance and punched out three balls. He did not have much to do in the instance of Chennaiyin FC’s goal as it was quite scrappy.

Sarthak Golui - 6.5

Sarthak Golui was playing well until the moment he was sent off. Even though he was not his usual self going up, he was good at the back. He made two successful tackles, three clearances, and two successful interceptions. However, his seeing a second yellow card cost his team a numerical advantage.

Lalchungnunga - 8.5

Lalchungnunga played well in East Bengal’s defence and provided stability at the back. Moreover, he took one shot. In defence, he made four successful tackles, eight clearances, one successful interception, and blocked one shot.

Ivan Gonzalez - 8

Ivan had a good outing today. He played well at the heart of East Bengal’s midfield. He did his part by making three successful tackles, five clearances, one successful interception, and blocking two shots.

Jerry Lalrinzuala  - 7.5

Jerry looked very good on the left side of East Bengal’s defence. He made good forward runs and aided East Bengal’s attacks whenever it was possible. He floated in four crosses and had 65 touches, the highest for his side. Moreover, he made one successful tackle and two successful interceptions. 

Naorem Mahesh Singh - 6.5

Naorem had a mixed day at the office, which was not enough to create problems for Chennaiyin FC. He took two corners and two free kicks, which did not look much threatening. In defence, he was able to make three successful tackles and only one successful interception. 

Charalambos Kyriakou - 7.5

Kyriakou was very effective today in East Bengal’s midfield. He took one shot, had 50 touches, and made the most number of successful passes for his side with 32 passes. He also aided the side’s defence by making four clearances and one interception. 

Jordan O’Doherty - 7.5

O’Doherty did not look as good today in East Bengal’s attacks as he did in the last day’s game. He was not able to take a shot throughout the game. Yet, he had 50 touches, made 30 successful passes, and took five corners. He was effective in defence and made three successful tackles, one clearance, and two successful interceptions. 

Semboi Haokip - 4.0

Semboi could not improve his poor performance from derby day and was not effective at all for East Bengal tonight. He was not able to put in any cross or take any cross.

V. P. Suhair - 5.0

Suhair was quiet in East Bengal’s attack. He played for 73 minutes and throughout this duration, he was able to take only one shot, which was off-target, and float in two crosses. This was not enough to cause problems in Chennaiyin FC’s defence.

Cleiton Silva - 8.5

Again, it was Cleiton who looked threatening for East Bengal. A lack of support from others largely kept him isolated throughout the match. Still, he was able to conjure up two chances for his side, the highest for his team. He also took one shot, which was off-target though.

Yet, he tried to bring life to East Bengal’s attack whenever he received the ball. He made sharp forward runs and took two free kicks. He also made three successful tackles.  

Substitutes 

Himanshu Jangra - 7.5

Himanshu looked quite lively in his first game for East Bengal after coming on as a sub in the second half. He took two shots, floated in two crosses, and aided his side defensively by putting in two successful tackles. It was definitely a good debut for him.  

Aniket Jadhav - 6.5

Aniket had a mixed day at the office. He was on the pitch for around 27 minutes and still was able to create a chance for his side. He was not much effective apart from that as he was able to take only one shot in total.

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Mobashir Rahman - 5.5

Mobashir had a relatively mixed outing. He was on the field for around 17 minutes and within that time he had 13 touches and had made 11 passes. However, these were not much meaningful in terms of creating chances. He was also not effective while defending.

Eliandro - 3.5

Eliandro’s poor form continued to the Chennaiyin FC match. He played for around 17 minutes and had only three touches. Consequently, he was not able to make any meaningful contribution for his side.

Chennaiyin FC (By Kaushik)

Debjit Majumder - 6

Debjit was more of a spectator throughout the night as East Bengal’s attack rarely threatened his goal. The goalkeeper had only one clearance and a parry on the night which indicates the lack of a goalscoring threat against him for 90 minutes. 

Ajith Kumar - 7

Chennaiyin FC’s right-back contributed at both ends of the pitch. On the ball, he created one chance and completed 70% of his passes. Defensively, he won two tackles, made two interceptions and one clearance as well as blocked one shot. The right-back was rock solid at the back and helped Chennaiyin FC keep their first clean-sheet of the season.

Vafa Hakhamaneshi - 9

The Iranian defender was an inspirational presence tonight for Chennaiyin FC. He scored the winner on the night and did a brilliant job to keep possession and keep the East Bengal attackers at bay. Vafa completed 88% of his passes and made two clearances and one interception on the night. Unfortunately, Vafa’s incredible night was cut short by a second yellow card in the 70th minute. 

Fallou Diagne - 8

The Senegalese centre-back marshaled his defence well after Vafa’s sending-off and throughout the game. Off the ball, he won one tackle and made five clearances along with one interception. He also completed 85% of his passes as both Chennaiyin FC defenders showed their quality in building from the back, a key trait in teams under Thomas Brdaric.

Narayan Das - 6

The experienced defender was taken off in just the 24th minute due to an injury. During his time on the pitch, he made one clearance which was the only misplaced pass from Narayan among his 10 attempted passes. 

Jiteshwor Singh - 8

Jiteshwor’s growing quality and influence in the side would be emphasized by his outstanding performance tonight. The midfielder had 100 touches on the ball, the most by any player on the pitch. He completed 80% of his passes and off the ball he won a mammoth five tackles and made one clearance and two interceptions. He was a key component of Chennaiyin FC in keeping a clean sheet tonight. 

Anirudh Thapa - 7

The skipper once again led his troops well. Thapa created three chances on the night and completed 87% of his passes. He also had one shot on target tonight. 

Julius Duker - 7

The German showed his class once again by helping Chennaiyin FC keep possession and frustrate East Bengal. Duker completed 88% of his passes and had the second-most number of touches by a Chennaiyin FC player tonight (89). He won one tackle and made two clearances and interceptions respectively. 

Prashanth Karuthadathkuni - 6

The winger once again created plenty of threat on the right for Chennaiyin FC. Prashanth created one chance on the night, had his only shot attempt on target and completed 68% of his passes. 

Petar Sliskovic - 6

Sliskovic would be a bit frustrated with his work tonight considering he had none of his attempted shots on target. He contributed well to Chennaiyin FC’s gameplay though completing 77% of his passes, making two clearances and winning one tackle. 

Rahim Ali - 5

Rahim Ali once again had a night to forget with none of his three attempted shots on target. The youngster completed 69% of his passes and created one chance. He was rightly taken off in the 74th minute following a frustrating night at the VYBK.

Substitutes

Aakash Sangwan - 8

Aakash came on as an early substitute for the injured Narayan Das and sparkled with an all-round performance. He created four chances on the night including the assist for the winning goal for Vafa Hakhamaneshi. He also completed 78% of his passes. Defensively, Aakash won two tackles and made one interception.

Ninthoi Meetei - 6

Came on for the final 15 minutes and contributed an interception to Chennaiyin FC’s cause. Also completed 62% of his passes and made one cross 

Sourav Das - 6

Sourav came on for the final 15 minutes against his old team and did well to hold possession and help Chennaiyin FC see out the game. The midfielder completed 85% of his 13 attempted passes. 

Edwin Vanspaul - N/A

Edwin came on for the final minutes of the game and didn’t have much to do.