Ratings: Sunil Chhetri's goal helps resilient Bengaluru FC curtail Mumbai City

The Blues' skipper has now scored in two consecutive games.

Bengaluru FC defeated home side Mumbai City 1-0 in the first leg of the first semi-final at the Mumbai Football Arena. The home side however, glanced 21 shots out of which only three were on target.

Bengaluru FC on the other hand, relied solely on the counter-attack and the skipper once again made an impact by coming on as a substitute to score the winning goal. The second leg will be played on 12 March at the Sree Kanteerava stadium.

Here are the player ratings for the game:

Mumbai City (By M Sudharshan)

Phurba Lachenpa - 6.5

Was hardly involved in the first half but put up quick reflexes at the fag end of the game. Lachenpa made six saves overall. 

Rahul Bheke - 6.5

The right-back was involved in three tackles and two clearances.  

Mourtada Fall - 7

Nullified the attacking threat from Roy Krishna and was solid in the centre-back position.

Mehtab Singh - 6.5

The centre-back made two clearances and had one shot off target.

Vignesh Dakshinamurthy - 7.5

Vignesh enjoyed 95 touches with a passing accuracy of 81 per cent. Created a few chances up front and had one shot off target.

Apuia Ralte -7.0

Apuia had a good game against Bengaluru FC, making his presence felt both in attack and defence. Made five tackles and had a passing accuracy of 86 per cent.

Ahmed Jahouh - 6.5

Made two tackles and one interception. Put in quality crosses and through balls in the attacking third.

Greg Stewart - 7.5

Stewart made good attacking runs from both the left and right wings. Glanced two shots off target and one shot on goal.

Lallianzuala Chhangte - 6.5

Chhangte had a decent passing accuracy of 91 per cent but couldn’t make any major impact from the right wing.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 6.5

Diaz had two clear chances but couldn't convert them. Was held back by Sandesh Jhingan on a few occasions.

Bipin Singh - 7.0

The left winger had two shots off target and enjoyed a passing accuracy of 82 per cent.  

Substitutes

Alberto Noguera - 6.0

Did not make much impact after being brought on in the 66th minute. However, he glanced on shot which went wayward.

Gurkirat Singh - N/A

Ayush Chikkara - N/A

Bengaluru FC (By Sathvik Bharadwaj)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 8.5

His diving save denied Stewart early and got a crucial touch to the Scotsman's free-kick late in the second half. Timed his forays out of the line to perfection, denying Mumbai City's forwards a couple of chances after the ball was played in.

Prabir Das - 9

Always the quickest to react to Mumbai's deep crosses with clearing headers and sliding tackles. Crossing accuracy was slight a let-down, but his long-range effort on target was saved brilliantly by Lachenpa. Also, he blocked three on-target shots.

Bruno Ramires - 8.5

Went up against Bipin and played his role as an auxiliary centre-back with good versatility. His standing tackles to dispossess players in the box and the initial ball out to the base of midfield are duties he has grown into and aced. Made two successful interceptions and blocked two shots.

Sandesh Jhingan - 8.5

Was switched on in defence all night, and used his physicality well against Jorge Pereyra Diaz. Another outstanding display from the centre-back, as he registered 11 clearances and organized the back-line as the guardian.

Aleksandar Jovanovic - 8

Dealt with Mumbai's lofted crosses from the channels. His accurate long clearances helped Bengaluru FC launch counter-attacks.

Naorem Roshan Singh - 9

Supplied the assist for the solitary goal with a pin-point corner. Tested Lachenpa with a couple of driven efforts from range. Bombed forward in the second half and showed off his wide array of crosses into the box. Ensured the supply to Chhangte out wide was cut.

Suresh Singh Wangjam - 9

Tracked Greg Stewart all around the pitch and was there to fill in defensive gaps whenever needed, with his impeccable ground coverage. Shielded the ball brilliantly with his quick footwork and turn of pace.

Rohit Kumar - 7

His first touch let him down at times under pressure. Was watchful of Chhangte, and covered the most ground before coming off for Jayesh Rane.

Javi Hernandez - 7.5

Was not his usual silky self with the ball at his feet, often irked by the referee's decision-making and lack of service. Was very bright in the second half, linking with Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna. Came off for compatriot Pablo Perez.

Roy Krishna - 7

Played deep and was always on the lookout for Sivasakthi Narayanan's bent forward runs. Lost his composure while picking the right pass for counter-attacks.

Sivasakthi Narayanan - 6

Had a dull first half, but grew in confidence as the game progressed. Came off for Chhetri.

Substitutes

Sunil Chhetri - 9

Immediately made an impact with his one-touch link-up. Scored off Roshan's corner with a brave header and had two more huge chances saved by Lachenpa.

Pablo Perez - 7.5

Broke Mumbai's attacks and started counters for Bengaluru FC, setting up Chhetri twice.

Jayesh Rane - 7

Player a similar role to Rohit Kumar, brought good energy in midfied.

Udanta Singh - N/A