Ratings: Diamantakos stars as Kerala Blasters overcome Bengaluru FC

This was the Yellow Army's fifth consecutive win of the season.

Amidst the bad weather and World Cup fever in Kerala, fans turned out in large numbers to witness the Southern Derby in Kochi. The 90 minutes put up five thrilling goals altogether. Kerala Blasters dominated the match with three goals meanwhile Bengaluru FC failed to hold on to the early lead that they procured. A penalty in the toothing stages gave the Blues the lead but the men in yellow made a brilliant comeback by scoring three. 

In light of these, let us take a look at how the players of the two teams fared.

Kerala Blasters (by Sooraj Saji)

Prabhsukhan Gill - 6

Gill displayed an average performance between the sticks for Kerala Blasters. He conceded two goals which includes a penalty by Sunil Chhetri and a long-range brace by Javi Hernandez.

Sandeep Singh - 6.5

Sandeep performed well in the full-back role. Apart from his defensive duties, Sandeep put on some long-range efforts to the post. However, he needs to put in some more hours into the training session to improve his crossing skills.

Marko Lešković - 7.5

Risen up to challenge, the general in defence came off his mark and his close-range right-footed effort from the set-piece rewarded the team with an equalizer in the 25th minute.

Hormipam Ruivah - 6.5

Hormipam displayed a median performance in the backline today. Moreover, he slightly lost focus in the second half of the game.

Nishu Kumar - 6

A decent level of output was produced by Nishu Kumar in the left-back position. He kept the opposition attackers at bay and at times joined the attack.

Rahul KP - 6.5

He registered an energetic presence in the wings for the Blasters. Rahul missed a golden opportunity in the 19th minute as his right-footed attempt missed the top left corner. Fans witnessed his exceptional defensive awareness as he successfully managed to clear away a ball from Danish Farooq's feet using a sliding tackle from the back.

Ivan Kaliuzhnyi - 6

The KBFC 'hero' didn't seem to be at his best in this game. The Ukrainian was subbed off in the 67th minute.

Jeakson Singh - 6.5

Jeakson displayed a neat performance in the midfield today. He blocked several attacks from the opposition and fairly distributed balls to the forward line.

Sahal Abdul Samad - 6

Fans witnessed only a shadow of Sahal throughout the match. He was dispossessed multiple times and his over-dribbling cost him some chances in the game.

Adrian Luna - 8

The Kerala Blasters captain was marked heavily throughout the match. Despite being tightly marked, Luna provided a brilliant assist for Dimitrios Diamantakos in the first half. The Uruguayan records the most chances created for Blasters in the match.

Dimitrios Diamantakos - 8.5

It was a diamond-valued display by Dimitrios upfront. The forward scored in the fifth consecutive match for the Blasters. He gave his team the lead in the 43rd minute through a close-range left-footed effort past the goalkeeper.

Substitutes

Apostolos Giannou - 7

Giannou came in as a substitute in the 67th minute of the game. The forward scored within minutes after coming off the bench and marked his first goal for Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League. His right-footed effort from the right side of the six-yard box extended the lead for the Blasters.

Bryce Miranda - 6

He came in as a substitute for Sahal Abdul Samad in the second half and had just three touches in the game.

 Victor Mongil - N/A

Bengaluru FC (By JN Balraj)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 5.5

The towering custodian spilled three goals on the night. Sandhu completed one high claim and made two saves from inside the box. But it was far from an inspiring outing from the man.

Prabir Das - 5.5

The fierce full-back was having a decent outing but found himself guilty of a goal. Prabir made three clearances and won as many duels in the game before making way for Parag Srivas at half time.

Sandesh Jhingan - 6.5

Sandesh was comfortable on the ball and impressed with his precise passing. He also made the job tough for the Blasters with a whopping eight clearances to his name.

Aleksandar Jovanovic - 6

Jovanovic maintained the solidarity at the back and was vocal for the defence line. He made two clearances and attempted eight long balls on the night.

Namgyal Bhutia - 5.5

The young left-back did not cope up with Sahal on the defensive left flank. Namgyal made two clearances and one interception in the match.

Suresh Singh Wangjam - 6

The energetic youngster played 23 passes with 70% accuracy. Suresh also made one successful tackle and blocked a shot. Again the work rate of the midfielder is appreciable but he needs to be more effective.

Danish Farooq- 6

The midfielder was missing the fine touch once again in this match. Danish had just 16 touches throughout and was struggling to get going.

Javi Hernandez - 7

Javi scored the second goal for the Blues and created a goal-scoring chance. But barring these, he was quite frustrated by the Blasters’ defence.

Naorem Roshan Singh - 6

Roshan was a lively presence on the right wing. He played a key pass and attempted two crosses. He also won four ground duels on the night.

Sunil Chhetri - 7.5

The captain led from the front in the attacking third. Chhetri won and converted the spot kick to give his side the lead in the first half.

Roy Krishna - 6

The Fijian forward is yet to show his ruthless striking abilities for the Blues. The wait is getting longer and one can say it may be late now. Krishna had just one shot to his name and that too missed the target.

Substitutes 

Parag Srivas - 6.5

Parag Srivas added strength to the full-back position after Prabir Das' dismal outing. He made two clearances and as many interceptions.

Rohit Kumar - 6.5

Rohit Kumar was quite a revelation in the second half by Simon Grayson. He played 18 passes with 86% accuracy.

Alan Costa - 6.5

Alan Costa made a clearance and blocked a crucial shot in the final minutes of the game. He provided stability at the back and also imposed set-piece threat to the opposition.

Pablo Perez - 6

The new signing showed some positive glimpses through his touches and could be an asset for the Blues moving forward.

Sivasakthi Narayanan - 6.5

Sivasakthi managed to register a shot on target in the limited minutes he got under his belt.