Ratings: Javi Hernandez runs riot for Bengaluru FC, FC Goa shadowed

The Gaurs were unable to hold on to their impressive home record as the Blues got the better of them.

FC Goa were dismantled by Bengaluru FC in a 2-0 loss at the Fatorda Stadium in ISL 2022-23 on Saturday. It was all down to careless and inattentive defending by Carlos Pena's men as Simon Grayson's side did exactly as instructed. The Blues soaked up pressure and waited for the opportune moment when Roy Krishna robbed the ball off Anwar Ali. His pass to Javi led to the Spaniard finishing emphatically and giving the Blues the lead. The two sides headed into the break with Bengaluru ahead by one goal.

After the break, Redeem Tlang, Edu Bedia and Fares Arnaout all came on but by then Javi had already rounded off Dheeraj and Princeton to score his second. Bengaluru FC withdrew into a compact shape and invited Goa to attack them as they wanted. The Blues executed this to perfection as FC Goa were unable to pry them open anyhow and ended the game with all three points and a clean sheet. FC Goa go down to fifth and Bengaluru FC emerge to eight place as a result.

Let us take a look at the player ratings for tonight's game:

FC Goa (By Riddhiman Sarkar)

Dheeraj Singh - 5.5

He made one save but was extremely poor with his anticipation as he got beat by Javi for the second goal. Although his team was too lame for opening up too much, Singh could have done more to prevent at least one of the goals.

Seriton Fernandes - 6

He recorded the top speed in the match as one of his sprints clocked in at 31.16 km/hr. Seriton was bang average otherwise as he won only one each of his three ground challenges and two aerial duels as he went off for Sanson Pereira in the 66th minute.

Marc Valiente - 5.5

Valiente failed to impress once again as his passing accuracy was not too useful. Moreover, he contested no defensive engagements and lost his only aerial duel. He was substituted off for Fares Arnaout in the 66th minute.

Anwar Ali - 6

Uncharacteristic of the otherwise reliable Indian youngster, as he lost the ball to Krishna for Javi’s opener. He won only one out of his two ground duels and one aerial duel. Interestingly, Ali was an attacking threat as he got a scrumptious volley on target but Gurpreet matched it and tipped it away. Minutes later, the defender popped up and almost scored with a header. He finished the game with an 86% passing accuracy after a whopping 109 touches on the ball.

Aiban Dohling - 6.5

Aiban was FC Goa’s only defender who was actively pursuing the attackers and trying to close the gaping spaces between the midfield. He won three each of his five ground duels and four aerial duels; he also got a massive 91 touches on the ball.

Ayush Dev Chhetri - 6.5

Chhetri created one big chance and tried to retain some degree of control but was overrun by Bengaluru’s stocked midfield. He regulated the midfield, as well as he could, with two accurate long balls out of six and one accurate cross accompanied by an 87% passing accuracy. He was taken off for Devendra Murgaonkar in the 71st minute. 

Princeton Rebello - 6

He was shrugged off by Javi for the goal but won both of his aerial duels and two of his six ground duels. Pena decided against keeping him and sacrificed his passing (95% accuracy) for speed as he brought on Redeem Tlang in his stead in the 59th minute.     

Noah Sadaoui - 5.5

Noah was extremely poor as he missed two big chances and completed just one of his three take-ons. It was a forgettable day for the usually influential game-changer. 

Iker Guarrotxena - 6

The Spaniard only got on the ball 22 times and could not be effective for the Gaurs. He just made one key pass in 59 minutes of action and was taken off for Edu Bedia in the 59th minute.

Brandon Fernandes - 6.5

Brandon was probably FC Goa’s most active attacker against Bengaluru as Noah, Vazquez, and Iker Guarrotxena all failed to turn up. He got one shot off-target and two others blocked. He had nobody to finish either of his three successful key passes out of his 11 attempts.

Alvaro Vazquez - 6

Impressive return for the Spaniard as he created one big chance and had two shots on target but his final output faltered again. Vazquez lost possession 14 times. He could have been more penetrative with his movement as Jhingan and Costa barely felt his presence.

Substitutes

Redeem Tlang - 6

He had one shot blocked and was rampant down the wings but could not combine with the other attackers. Bengaluru’s isolating tactics worked on him as well despite his continuous movement down the flank. Redeem failed to complete his only take-on.   

Edu Bedia - 6.5

The Spanish maestro couldn’t play as freely as he frequently found himself between triangular pressure zones. He went into the book for dissent after almost teeing up Anwar Ali and getting the goal disallowed for a handball. Two of his shots were on target and he had an 83% passing accuracy but was unable to get something out of it.

Fares Arnaout - 6.5

The Syrian exhibited experience as in one instance he blocked Sivasakthi with ease. He won both of his ground duels and one of his aerial duels and should have been substituted earlier.    

Sanson Pereira - 6

Sanson was deployed on the left flank but could not be banked on to be decisive with his passing after only 14 touches on the ball.

Devendra Murgaonkar - 5.5 

Devendra barely saw the ball as he had it for a meagre six times and looked lost in midfield, losing both of his aerial duels.

Bengaluru FC (By Souvari Paul)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 8.5

Gurpreet had an excellent game tonight. He faced 11 shots in total, among which six were on target. He was able to save all six shots. Apart from that, he made three clearances, punched six balls and caught two. Gurpreet had a big role to play in tonight’s clean sheet of Bengaluru over FC Goa.

Prabir Das - 6.5

Prabir had a decent game today. He was not much effective going up but played his part well in defence as he had 40 touches in total. He made three successful tackles and seven clearances.

Sandesh Jhingan - 8.0 

Jhingan was brilliant throughout the duration of the game. He looked rock solid at the base of Bengaluru’s defence and made enormous contributions to keep the side’s clean sheet. He made 12 clearances, three successful interceptions, and blocked two shots.

Aleksandar Jovanovic - 7.5

Jovanovic was very good in the heart of Bengaluru’s defence. He played his part well to keep BFC’s clean sheet. He had 29 touches in total and made 18 passes. Throughout the game, he made one successful tackle, four clearances, one successful interception, and blocked one shot.

Namgyal Bhutia - 7.0

Namgyal played decently on the left side of the team’s defence. He contributed to his side’s clean sheet by making the lives of FC Goa attackers difficult. He had 43 touches, made 16 passes, and created one chance. For his defensive duties, he made one successful tackle and one clearance. 

Suresh Singh Wangjam - 7.5

Suresh looked very lively in Bengaluru FC’s midfield against FC Goa. Even though he was not able to make any direct contribution to the side’s attacks, his presence in the midfield was highly impactful. He had 41 touches and made 19 passes. In defence, he made two successful tackles, one clearance, and three successful interceptions.

Javi Hernández - 9.0

Javi was undoubtedly the most impactful player on the pitch today. He scored both goals of the game to ensure Bengaluru’s win. He took three shots in total, two of which were goals. Apart from that, he created one more chance. He had 37 touches throughout the game. Moreover, he made one successful tackle and an interception each.

Danish Farooq - 6.0

Danish’s game in the midfield of BFC was not that good today, especially when compared to how the rest of the midfield played. He was not able to make any significant contributions to the side’s attack. Throughout the game, he had 27 touches and made 14 passes. In defence, he made one tackle, one clearance, and two successful interceptions.

Udanta Singh - 8.0

Udanta was excellent for Bengaluru on the right wing. He was lively throughout the game and constantly troubled FC Goa defenders with his runs. He provided the assist for one of the goals, created two chances, and floated in a cross. Throughout the game, he had 40 touches and made 15 passes.

Roy Krishna - 7.5 

Roy Krishna had a good day at office today as he looked lively throughout the game. He took two shots, one of which was on target. He provided the assist for Javi's first goal. Apart from that, he created two chances. He also aided defensively by making one successful tackle, two clearances, and one successful interception.

Naorem Roshan Singh - 5.5

Naorem’s day in an unusual position was not that good for him. Even though he played on the left wing, he was able to register only one shot. He had only 26 touches in the game. In addition, he made one clearance and two successful interceptions.

Substitutes 

Rohit Kumar - 6.5

Rohit played his part well in keeping the clean sheet for his side. Even though he was not effective in contributing to the side’s attacks, he was quite effective in defence whereby he made three clearances and two successful interceptions.

Parag Shrivas - 6.5

Parag was on the pitch for around 14 minutes. He played his part well within this limited time by making one clearance and two successful interceptions.

Alan Costa - N/A

Alan was on the pitch for only around 4 minutes. 

Bruno Ramires - N/A

Sivasakthi Narayan - N/A