Ratings: Sandeep Singh the hero as Kerala Blasters outplay Odisha

This was the player's first goal in the ISL.

Kerala Blasters moved up to third place in the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) table with a gritty 1-0 win over Odisha FC on Monday. The Yellow Army needed a fortunate 86th-minute winner from Sandeep Singh to give them all three points, helping them move five points behind league leaders Mumbai City.

Here are the player ratings for the game.

Kerala Blasters (by Uttiyo Sarkar)

Prabhsukhan Gill – 6.5

The young goalkeeper was at his sharpest in his goal and helped his side stay in the game throughout. He made three saves, keeping out whatever Odisha threw at him and showing no signs of fear at all.

Sandeep Singh – 8.5

Sandeep was an absolute workhorse and made the right-wing his own. He kept the menacing Isaac from sending in crosses and neutralized his threat, making two interceptions and blocks each. He kept bombing forward to give attacking support and was in the right place at the right time to score a clever header, winning his side three crucial points.

Hormipan Ruivah – 7.5

Hormipan was surprisingly composed against the dangerous Pedro Martin and maintained a strong partnership with Marko Leskovic. His impressive game-reading ability helped shut down a lot of Odisha’s attacks. Ruivah made four clearances, three interceptions and two blocks in a superb defensive showing.

Marko Leskovic – 7.0

Leskovic ensured that his side didn’t show any nervousness against the intimidating Odisha frontline and helped maintain a tight defensive line. He made a few crucial challenges to avert danger, but did miss an absolute open-goal sitter in the second half.

Jessel Carneiro – 6.5

Carneiro was energized by the power of the crowd and showed a lot of desire by romping up & down on the left-wing. He marked the dangerous Nandhakumar Sekar well, not allowing him to cause much problems. Carneiro’s crosses tormented Odisha all game long and helped add an attacking threat for his side.

Jeakson Singh – 5.0

Jeakson struggled against Odisha’s high press in the midfield and ended up losing possession on a lot of occasions. Fortunately, his teammates got his back and didn’t let any trouble happen. He moved the ball along well, but only completed 1/6 tackles and one interception.

Ivan Kaliuzhnyi – 7.0

The physical midfielder dealt better against the Odisha press than Jeakson, using his experience to help move the ball through midfield well. He also hassled the opposition midfielders, committing three tackles and making three blocks. Added a creative threat by setting up two chances, but unlucky not to get rewarded for it.

Sahal Abdul Samad – 7.0

Sahal was arguably Kerala Blasters’ biggest creative threat against Odisha. His clever movement left defenders guessing and he set up some nice chances with great passes. Went close to scoring with an acrobatic effort in the second half and had the fans chanting his name throughout the game.

Rahul KP – 6.0

Rahul was full of energy on the right and was quite aggressive, making some silly fouls that led him to being booked. Showcased nice movement going forward and put in some inviting balls into the box, but couldn’t see them converted.

Adrian Luna – 6.5

The Kerala Blasters captain was a marked man, but still found ways to get involved in the heart of the action. He created three scoring chances, with the majority coming in the second half and his impressive passes often unlocked the Odisha backline. Kept his side going to fetch a late winner for the fans.

Dimitrios Diamantakos – 4.0

The Greek forward had a really frustrating night. Failed to link up anything big for his side and was bullied by the Odisha defenders, completing only four passes. Had a prominent scoring chance after the hour-mark, but completely fluffed it. Taken off soon after.

Substitutes

Nihal Sudeesh – 6.0

The striker was involved in some promising late counter-attacks, but saw his efforts either saved or go just wide.

Apostolos Giannou – 6.0

Giannou helped keep up Kerala’s attacking threat even after they scored the winner and moved the ball around pretty well.

Bryce Miranda – 7.0

Miranda was the one who swung in the inviting cross from the left that confused Amrinder into making the mistake and Sandeep to score. Created a late chance for Sudeesh too.

Victor Mongil – N/A

Ayush Adhikari – N/A

Odisha FC (By Souvari Paul)

Amrinder Singh - 4.5

Even though Amrinder looked sturdy in the initial moments with good footwork and decision-making, he lacked composure and looked shaky in the second half. Made two howlers, one of which led to the goal.

Narender Gahlot - 7.0

Took one shot and created one chance. Looked good in defence where he made many good tackles. Saw a dip in performance at the end.

Osama Malik - 8.5

With the highest number of touches and passes for his side, Osama played a pivotal role in keeping Kerala Blasters' attackers silent. He made several goal-saving blocks, apart from clearances to keep his side in the game.   

Carlos Delgado - 6.5

Took a brilliant free-kick in the first half. Made several good tackles and blocks, one of which was goal-saving. Performance dipped towards the end.

Sahil Panwar - 7.0

Aided the attack well by taking three corners and whipping in three crosses. Looked good in defence too, as he showcased some good tackles, clearances, and interceptions.

Raynier Fernandes - 7.5

Raynier was lively on a bad day for Odisha FC in which he took one shot and created one chance before being subbed off in the 69th minute. He had 41 touches and made 24 passes during this time. In the first half, his performance was quite impressive.

Thoiba Singh - 6.5

Glanced an on-target shot and whipped in two crosses throughout. With 49 touches, Thoiba looked impactful till the moment Kerala took hold of the game. 

Victor Rodriguez - 7.0

Making his first start of the season, Rodriguez performed very well. He was pivotal in Odisha’s midfield as he floated in three crosses, especially in the first half where his side seemed spectacular.  

Nandha Kumar Sekar - 6.0

Return to the first XI saw Nandha take four shots, all of which were off-target. Did not impact the game much in the second half.

Pedro Martin - 7.0

Even though Pedro lacked the opportunity to unleash a shot, he took a lot of workload to create a chance and keep Kerala’s defence under pressure for the most part.

Isaac Vanmalsawma - 6.0

Isaac played well in the first half with consistent runs and sharp movements. A small dip in performance saw him being taken off in the 58th minute. 

Substitutes 

Jerry Mawihmingthanga - 4.0

Was not able to impact the game as per expectations after coming on in the second half. No significant contribution for his team.

Diego Mauricio - 4.5

Even though the workload was good, Mauricio’s efforts were not enough significant. No attacking threat whatsoever.

Denechandra Meitei - N/A