Ratings: Jorge Pereyra Diaz brace helps Mumbai City outclass FC Goa

The Islanders remain fixated to the pole position of the table.

Mumbai City thrashed FC Goa 4-1 in ISL 2022-23, courtesy a brace by Jorge Pereyra Diaz and a goal apiece by Lallianzuala Chhangte and Alberto Noguera at the Mumbai Football Arena (MFA) on Thursday. The Islanders have thus extended their unbeaten streak to nine games this season as they have now accumulated 21 points, courtesy six wins and three draws.

 The Gaurs had run the home side close in the first-half, courtesy a strike by Iker Guarrotxena. However, Mumbai managed to gather back their momentum and brought their A game to the fore by netting thrice afterward to hand Goa their second successive loss on a trot.

Here are the ratings for players from both teams for this match.

Mumbai City FC (By Tarkesh Jha)

Phurba Lachenpa – 5

Lachenpa had a rare off day as he made a mess out of Goa’s only goal by failing to handle Guarrotxena’s powerful shot properly. However, he recovered well by making five saves and six clearances regardless of that to keep Goa’s attack at bay.

Rahul Bheke – 6

Bheke had a busy day at the back as the skipper made seven tackles and three interceptions in addition to pulling off a cross in attack as well. He maintained an 89 per cent passing accuracy but got his name recorded in the referee’s book too.

Rostyn Griffiths – 6

The Australian centre-back led Mumbai’s defence with a composed head as he registered two tackles and five clearances whilst maintaining an impressive passing accuracy of 91 per cent.

Mehtab Singh – 5.5

Mehtab was solid as ever at the back, making three tackles and four interceptions and also initiating some neat passes to build up Mumbai’s attacking moves from the heart of the defence. However, a major howler in the first half could have seen Alvaro Vazquez net one for Goa, but luckily for Mumbai, the striker missed the opportunity.

Vignesh Dakshinamurthy – 5

The left-back was erratic with his passing and maintained a dismal accuracy of only 56 per cent in the same. He put in seven tackles but was hauled off at half-time for his senior compatriot Mandar Rao Dessai.

Lalengmawia Ralte – 6

Apuia was once again at the core of Mumbai’s moves in the middle. With a 90 per cent passing accuracy, he registered seven tackles and also created a solitary goal-scoring opportunity during his 75-minute-long stay on the field.

Ahmed Jahouh – 5

The Moroccan midfielder couldn’t really help Mumbai assert their dominance in the proceedings in a very topsy-turvy first-half. He tackled five times and made 42 passes but the coach brought on Alberto Noguera in his place to arguably ease the transition from defence in the first-half.

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 7.5

Chhangte seems to be growing in stature with every passing game and his thunderous strike in the 42nd minute was yet another reminder of the same. He showed great awareness shortly after the lemon break to find Diaz inside the box for Mumbai’s third goal of the night.

Greg Stewart – 7.5

The attacking midfielder continued his sublime run of form by assisting two goals and dictating most of Mumbai’s attacking moves in the final-third. He was taken off by the coach in the 67th minute with Mumbai having already secured the three points in their bag.

Bipin Singh – 5.5

Bipin wasn’t nearly as productive as his other attacking counterparts as he completed only seven passes throughout the course of the game. He managed to glance three shots and also put two crosses but some greater accuracy on an individual level would have allowed Mumbai to further extend the margin of their victory.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz – 8

The Argentine forward’s fantastic finishing finesse and skill were on thorough display as he immediately pounced upon the two instances that came his way to bag an important brace in this challenging encounter. He also created three goal-scoring chances and was consistently involved in shaping Mumbai’s passing patterns near Goa’s 18-yard box.

Substitutes

Mandar Rao Dessai – 5.5

Mandar was brought in specifically to plug the spaces that Mumbai were conceding on the left flank. His introduction instilled a sense of greater security in the backline and Mumbai managed to run away with the game in the second-half.

Alberto Noguera – 6.5

Noguera struck a terrific goal and tackled thrice to round up a comprehensive all-round display that uplifted Mumbai’s performance in the second-half.

Mourtada Fall – 5.5

Fall further solidified Mumbai’s backline towards the fag end of the game with a tackle and two clearances to his name each.

Rowllin Borges – 5.5

Borges added further steel in Mumbai’s midfield but the game was pretty much sealed in Mumbai’s favour by then.

Vikram Partap Singh – N/A

FC Goa (By Waseem Zaidi)

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (GK) - 6.0

Despite FC Goa conceding four goals against a confident Mumbai City, Dheeraj was one of the better performers from the visiting team. He made several saves (six in total) to keep the difference in score respectable by the final whistle. He was let down by individual errors and a poor overall performance by the defenders.

Seriton Fernandes - 6.0

Seriton Fernandes found it hard to contain Bipin Singh but did the job of preventing him from scoring. He made the most touches on the ball (68) out of any FCG player. The full-back got four of his seven tackles accurate and made two crosses in the attacking third.

Anwar Ali - 5.5

Anwar Ali was the pick of the defenders on a night when all of them delivered poor performances. However, he was at fault for the third goal after giving away the ball in the defensive third. He made three interceptions and one clearance during the game.

Marc Valiente - 5.5

Marc Valiente struggled in the heart of the FC Goa defence with Mumbai City freely creating scoring chances. He had only two blocks and zero clearances before getting substituted at the 80th-minute mark.

Aibanbha Dohling - 4.0

Aibanbha Dohling had a night to forget against Mumbai City. He was at fault for Lallianzuala Chhangte's goal after failing to clear his lines. Later, the defender gave a poor pass back to Anwar Ali which eventually led to the third goal. Sanson Pereira replaced him before the hour mark.

Edu Bedia - 3.0

Edu Bedia let his team down by picking up a second yellow card by kicking the ball out of frustration. In terms of performance, he created one scoring chance in a lukewarm display. The skipper must set a better example.

Ayush Chhetri - 5.5

Ayush Chhetri created two chances for his team but that was the extent of his contribution to FC Goa. The midfielder was lively without the ball, however, coming away from the game with a 100% tackle success rate.

Redeem Tlang - 6.5

The winger was impressive in his work rate down the right wing for FC Goa. He made one assist in the game and also came close to scoring a goal himself in the first half. Carlos Pena took him off just before the hour mark in order to shake things up on the pitch.

Iker Guarrotxena - 7.5

Iker Guarrotxena was the sole individual in FC Goa’s lineup that could be happy with his performance. He scored the only goal for the Gaurs and saw another attempt saved. All in all, he could have had three goals from four shots out of which two were on target. 

Brandon Fernandes - 7.0

Brandon Fernandes was positive whenever he got on the ball. He was constantly looking to create chances for his teammates. The midfielder made a whopping seven crosses but none of them were converted into goals by the FCG players.

Alvaro Vazquez - 4.5

Alvaro Vazquez was ineffective for the Gaurs tonight. He received a brilliant chance to score in the first half but could not beat the goalkeeper owing to poor finishing. He created one scoring chance too. The tactician brought in Noah Sadaoui in his place in the second half, concluding a frustrating night for the striker.

Substitutes

Sanson Pereira - 5.5

Sanson Pereira was introduced as a second half substitute to freshen things up in defence. MCFC was causing mayhem down the left channel and it did not change after Pereira’s arrival either.

Makan Winkle Chothe - 6.0

The young forward took two shots on goal looking to get his side back into the game. One of the shots went off-target and the other was blocked. He did show a willingness to make an impact but could not eventually.

Noah Sadaoui - 6.5

He came on as a substitute for Vazquez who was not having a good outing. The striker was sharp and hungry to make an impact in the second half. He had 21 touches in 34 minutes of playing time and also registered a shot on target. 

Glan Martins - 5.0

Glan came on as a sub to inject more energy in the midfield. He blocked two shots and made two successful tackles in a 27-minute cameo. 

Fares Arnaout - 6.5

Fares Arnaout was sent to reinforce matters in the defensive department late in the second half. FC Goa did not concede in the 10 minutes he was on the pitch.