Ratings: Mahesh, Siverio shine as Hyderabad FC hold East Bengal

The entertaining game saw a late resurgence from the Nizams denying a win for the Red & Gold Brigade.

East Bengal FC and Hyderabad FC played a memorable 3-3 draw in the 2023 Super Cup Group B fixture. The Red & Gold Brigade carried a two-goal advantage in the halftime break but smart substitutions by Manolo Marquez enabled the Nizams to mount a late comeback to avoid defeat and secure a point. 

Two goals from Naorem Mahesh Singh and another from VP Suhair almost gave EBFC three points. However, a brace by Javier Siverio and a first-ever goal for HFC by Abdul Rabeeh kept the Nizams’ hopes alive for qualifying for the knockouts.

Here are the player ratings from an entertaining draw between East Bengal FC and Hyderabad FC:

East Bengal FC

Kamaljit Singh (GK) - 5.5

Kamaljit Singh was disappointing with his saves, pushing the ball into HFC’s attacker’s path which led to two goals on the night in this same manner. He almost fumbled a Siverio header back into his own net as well.

Athul - 6.5

Athul had a busy night, thwarting away the crosses from HFC wingers using his physicality and reading of the game.

Sarthak Golui - 6.5

Sarthak Golui made a few important clearances but he was lucky that a handball incident did not lead to a late penalty.

Lalchungnunga - 7.0

Lalchungnunga’s duel with Javier Siverio was entertaining to watch. He was close to the striker and was the reason that the Spaniard could not score more than two goals.

Tuhin Das - 5.5

Tuhin Das was quick to clear any dangerous crosses. However, he was found out of position on a few instances as the match went on which shows a lack of concentration on the defender’s part.

Alex Lima - 7.0

The midfielder carried the ball well from midfield to the attacking third for East Bengal FC. However, his distribution was short on precision on a couple of occasions. Having said that, Lima was influential and central to EBFC’s build-up.

Mobashir Rahman - 5.5

Provided balance in the midfield and cover to Lima, who went on attacking runs thanks to his dribbling qualities. Rahman was involved in plenty of duels but found himself isolated on a number of occasions.

Naorem Mahesh Singh - 9.0

Naorem Singh was sensational on the night and scored a brilliant brace. He kept causing plenty of problems for the HFC defence during the course of the match. He also provided the assist for the third goal by EBFC.

VP Suhair - 8.0

VP Suhair scored an outrageous goal from a narrow-angle and caused a lot of issues for Akash Mishra on the right flank. However, he lacked energy in the second half, making it easy for Mishra to deal with him.

Cleiton Silva - 7.5

Cleiton Silva created a few brilliant opportunities for his teammates. His penetrative passes and movement in the goalmouth area were a pain for HFC’s defenders all night. 

Jake Jervis - 6.0

The striker was lacking sharpness in his touches. The humid conditions also affected his physical output during the game. He came away with a yellow card and no goals.

Substitution

Jordan O’Doherty - 5.5

The midfielder was composed in possession and looked like the only player in the EBFC lineup in the second half who wanted to retain possession. He made a few key passes but none of them evolved into scoring chances.

Sumit Passi - N/A

Charis Kyriakou - N/A

Hyderabad FC

Gurmeet Singh (GK) - 4.5

Barring the first goal, Gurmeet Singh could have done better to hold on to the shots and deny EBFC rebounds to score from. It was a disappointing outing for the custodian.

Nikhil Poojary - 5.5

It was a difficult night for Poojary, who found it hard to contain the pacy Naorem Mahesh Singh. The full-back showed promise in the attacking third but lacked precision with his crosses.

Chinglensana Singh - 5.5

The centre-back was decent with the ball on his feet but the marking inside the box was poor on the night.

Odei Onaindia - 7.0

Odei Onaindia delivered another masterful performance in the heart of HFC’s defence. He was quick to block any passing lines and made several key clearances to keep EBFC attacks at bay.

Akash Mishra - 7.5

The full-back was everywhere, such was his work rate on the left flank. He covered the areas on the flanks expertly and made plenty of darting runs in the attacking third at the same time. His cross caught EBFC defenders off-guard which led to HFC’s third goal eventually. 

Joao Victor - 6.5

The skipper was the calming presence for Hyderabad FC in the middle. He kept the ball moving and provided cover to the defence on the back foot.

Mark Zothanpuia - 5.5

The midfielder was not effective in feeding the wingers with penetrative through balls despite his energy and willingness to play a forward pass. He was taken off at halftime after a lukewarm performance.

Rohit Danu - 5.5

It was another performance where Rohit Danu showed glimpses of his quality but could not really dominate the proceedings. He needs more quality in the final third and clarity in his approach to wing play. 

Joel Chianese - 6.0

The attacking midfielder was decent with his deliveries but could not consistently create goalscoring chances in the final third. He made way for Herrera in the second half and the substitute changed the complexion of the game.

Halicharan Narzary - 5.0

It was a disappointing performance by Halicharan Narzary whose shooting was extremely wayward. His crossing, apart from the assist for Siverio, was also below par considering his usual standards. 

Javier Siverio - 8.5

The striker scored a sensational brace to help HFC avoid a defeat against EBFC. However, he would be personally disappointed as he wasted a few clear chances. He was the Hero of the Match at the end of an entertaining clash.

Substitution

Abdul Rabeeh - 7.5

Abdul Rabeeh was sensational from the bench, made several crosses and got the equaliser late in the second half with a brilliant opportunistic finish. He repaid the head coach’s faith with a brilliant performance.

Mohammad Yasir - 5.5

The winger came on as a substitute to find an equaliser and add more flair to the game which was becoming flat. He made a few good passes into the final third, adding pressure to EBFC’s defence.

Borja Herrera - 8.0

The midfielder made an instant impact by forcing Kamaljit Singh into parrying his long-range shot into Siverio’s path who in return scored from close-range. He was the difference maker and made a strong case for a starting place in the upcoming matches.

Aaren D’Silva - 5.5

The striker’s diving header pushed Kamaljit into making a save that allowed Rabeeh to score from 10 yards away.

Reagan Singh - 5.5

The defender kept things tight at the back as the Nizams pushed for the equaliser in the second half.