Ratings: Diamantakos, Nishu guide Kerala Blasters to victory over RoundGlass Punjab

The Blasters overcame RGPFC with ease in the Hero Super Cup.

Kerala Blasters beat Staikos Vergetis-led RoundGlass Punjab by a 3-1 scoreline in the Hero Super Cup 2023 on Saturday. Dimitrios Diamantakos opened the scoring with a striker's finish at the brink of halftime as the Tuskers went into the break with a one-goal lead.

About eight minutes after the break Nishu Kumar answered the call and doubled Kerala's lead. RoundGlass Punjab substitute KK Singh pulled one back for the I-league side before another substitute put the final nail in the coffin. This time it was Rahul KP who finished the game off in favour of last year's ISL finalists. Here are the player ratings for the night:

Kerala Blasters FC (Riddhiman Sarkar)

Sachin Suresh - 6.5

Largely unperturbed throughout the evening as the only dangerous shot he conceded was from KK Singh’s well-placed finish. Went on to make three saves from inside the box. 

Nishu Kumar- 8

One of his best games so far as he proved his worth as a high-flying wingback. Nishu sped forward in a lightspeed attacking move before smashing the ball into the back of the RoundGlass Punjab net. 

Danish Farooq Bhatt- 6.5

Unconventional starting role for the central and defensive midfielder but he enjoyed good swathes of possession nevertheless. Went off in the 79th minute for Jeakson Singh to enter the fray.

Victor Mongil- 6.5

Marshalled the defence with his towering presence and was accurate with his passing even under pressure. Was at fault for not closing down on Alex Lima and helping Sachin to his first clean sheet of the season. Made one interception and won four out of his nine aerial duels.

Bijoy Varghese- 7

Kept the width as a defensive fullback as he rarely ventured forward. Battled Luka Majcen well as he was aptly put up to vie for the ball with the veteran I-league top scorer.

Sahal Abdul Samad - 6.5

Dribbled out of tight spaces and often caught RoundGlass players off guard with his dribbling, passing and shooting. Replaced by Bryce Miranda in the 85th minute.

Vibin Mohanan - 6.5

One of the two youngsters who were allowed a chance to showcase their tenacity and skills at the top level. Vibin gelled well with Sahal, Ayush and Diamatakos as he actively participated in keeping possession and progressing the ball up the pitch.

Ayush Adhikari - 6.5

The 22-year-old was fielded in a more central role as opposed to his preferred right-sided position. Still excelled as he made a few good tackles and helped in turning over possession to his side and made some safe passes to retain the ball.

Saurav Mandal- 8

Held the flanks well but performed more like an extra central midfielder rather than a wide midfielder. Went off for Rahul KP in the 66th minute for more attacking presence down the uncovered wings. 

Apotostolos Giannou - 6.5

Giannou played more of a second fiddle to Diamantakos as he relied on his striker partner to tear away and create a gap amidst the RoundGlass Punjab defence. Vukomanovic’s deployment of the two strikers paid off as he frequently switched positions and helped the Blasters create more space.

Dimitris Diamantakos - 8.5

Opened the Blasters scoring from a fluid attacking move and kept threatening on goal throughout the game with his piercing blindside runs and half-turns. RoundGlass Punjab defenders tried their best but the Greek prolific twinkle-toed striker proved to be too much for them. Substituted for Bidyashagar Singh in the 66th minute.

Substitutes

Rahul KP - 7.5

Super sub outing from the fan favourite who came on to help the Blasters prey on the exposed wings. Culminated in a beautiful goal for the youngster as he finished the game with two shots on target.

Marko Leskovic - 6.5

Played only 15 minutes but Vukomanovic will be happy to see that the Croat did not display any significant weaknesses as such.  

Jeakson Singh - 6.5

Solidified the midfield as he linked it to and anchored the defence by plugging all the empty spaces in-between. 

Bidyashagar Singh - 6.5

Pried open the opposition with his energetic runs and blinding pace as he eventually allowed Rahul KP to slide in the last goal of the evening.

Bryce Miranda - 6.5

Came in for Sahal and did a good job keeping the midfield compact.

RoundGlass Punjab (Souvari Paul)

Kiran Kumar Limbu - 7.5

Looked sturdy and confident. Made a very good save to keep his team in the game. Did not have much to do in the case of Kerala’s two goals.

Suresh Meitei - 7.0

Had a decent game in Punjab’s defence with a few good touches, especially whilst facing the lightning-fast wingers of Kerala. 

Hmingthanmawia - 6.5

Did his best against a top ISL side by keeping their attackers subdued. Should have done a bit better to prevent Kerala from scoring twice.

Khaiminthang Lhungdim - 6.0

The game was similar for Lhungdim as well. He did his best to prevent Kerala’s attackers from finding space, but could not keep them subdued throughout.

Mohammed Salah - 6.0

Had a decent game, and made a few attacking forward runs. Wasn’t much effective in aiding the attack through. Kept Kerala’s wingers silent for a major part. 

Juan Nellar - 5.5

Was not able to impact the game much as the midfield was largely in control of the Blasters. 

Freddy Lallawmawma - 6.5

Even though looked subdued for a major part, Freddy had his moments in the game whereby his forward passes created problems for Kerala’s defence. 

Maheson Singh - 5.0

Was not much visible throughout the game. Tried to stitch together a few passes but most of his efforts did not bear fruit.

Brandon Vanlalremdika - 5.5

Not much effective in aiding the attack. Played well in moments to support his team’s attack, but wasn’t consistent enough.  

Juan Mera - 8.0

Perhaps the best player on the pitch for Punjab FC. Created a lot of chances and moves across the centre of the pitch. Looked threatening on multiple occasions whenever he whipped in crosses or stitched passes together with fellow attackers.

Luka Majcen - 5.5

Had a subdued game in which the highest goal-scorer of the I-League was not able to impact the game much. Took a few weak attempts.

Substitutes

Naocha Singh - 7.0

Played for around 30 minutes and did his best in this period to help his team get goals. At the same time, tried his best to aid his side’s defence. 

Krishnananda - 7.5

Scored his side’s only goal to bring them into the game. Looked lively after coming onto the pitch. Combined well with his fellow attackers to create a few dangerous moves.

Ajay Chhetri - N/A