Ratings: Malemngamba saves India's day in AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023 opener against Vietnam

The Blue Colts were a goal down at half-time.

India were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup on Saturday, June 17. The Blue Colts started the match impressively, but went down in the 44th minute, with Vietnam forward Le Long Vu giving his side the lead.

Bibiano Fernandes’ players came out fighting in the second half and after a lot of pushing, they got the equalizer at the 69th minute when Malemnganba Singh’s effort was deflected into the back of the net. India tried their best for a winner, but had to settle for a point to start the competition.

https://youtu.be/TXk2Gq107AA

Here are the Player Ratings for the game. 

India (By Uttiyo Sarkar)

Sahil (GK) – 6.0

The India custodian couldn’t really do much about the goal because of its accuracy, but was occasionally troubled by the set-pieces. Did well with his sweeping duties and dealing with Vietnam’s crosses on most occasions.

Ricky Meetei – 4.5

Ricky was a bombarding figure going forward with his relentless runs, but his crosses weren’t accurate enough for big chances. He was outwitted for Vietnam’s goal and was occasionally troubled with their clever work through the left-wing.

Surajkumar Singh – 6.5

Singh was a composed figure at the back, reading the game well to close down spaces in his area and maintaining a decent backline.

Pramveer – 7.0

The more aggressive of the two centre-backs, Pramveer was very proactive in his box and often leapt into crunching challenges – one of which got him booked. But his aggressiveness and alert reaction helped neutralize a number of attacks and frustrate Vietnam.

Malemngamba Singh – 9.0

Singh was a fearless figure going up and down the left flank and was never shy from testing the opponent. Leapt into action in the second half, hitting the side-netting with one attempt before seeing his ambitious effort deflected in for the equalizer.

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A lively figure in his side and showed ambition with his attacking contribution, while being defensively solid – also making a goal-saving block in the first half.

Gurnaj Singh Grewal – 8.0

The defensive midfielder was a gritty figure in the midfield, as he moved around really smartly to close down spaces and win back possession in the middle. Made a number of key tackles and progressed the ball forward nicely. Grewal was the player who won the ball leading to Malemnganba’s equalizer too!

Akash Tirkey – 6.5

Tirkey was quite proactive in the middle of the park for his side, covering a lot of distance and moving the ball around smoothly. Came closest to scoring in the first half after an attempt went wide. Was taken off at half-time.

Korou Singh – 7.0

The India U-17 captain was a bright spark in the final third, as he moved all around the attacking areas. Often slipped into promising positions and created a few major chances with his impressive final passes. Kept his side attacking till the end and never allowed their shoulders to drop after conceding first.

Lalpekhlua – 6.0

The young winger moved around pretty well on the right, getting into some promising areas in the final third. However, his final delivery wasn’t that accurate and he wasn’t able to test the keeper despite some promising runs.

Vanlalpeka Guite – 5.5

Guite wasn’t really able to showcase his skills much and got restricted on his side. Despite making a few bright runs, he lost concentration in the final third and wasn’t really able to test the keeper.

Danny Meitei – 6.5

Danny was an energetic figure up front, as he made some smart runs and dropped deep to drag the defenders out of position. Tested the keeper with a few weak attempts, but his off-the-ball work aided his teammates on the day.

Substitutes

Thanglalsoun Gangte – 7.0

The India No. 9 was a breath of fresh air after coming on in the second half. He troubled defenders with his smart movement and tested the keeper with some impressive efforts, raising the spirits in the attack.

Gogocha Chunkham – 6.0

Gogocha showcased some nice movement and moved the ball around well, but was not really able to create anything significant.

Omang Dodum – N/A

Dodum came on in the final few minutes and failed to make any real impact. 

Vietnam (By Yash Pratap Singh)

Nguyen Bao Ngoc (GK) - 6.5

The keeper was tested many times by the Indian forward line, but he maintained his cool and did not allow the Blue Colts to score past him on most occasions. But, he couldn’t judge Malemngamba’s shot and let the ball in to bring things back on level terms. 

Nguyen Quoc Khanh - 7.5

The defender helped his fellow mates at the back to keep things simple and rock solid. All in all he put on a good defensive show against India and made sure that they defended together as a unit and kept check on the Indian attackers at all times.

Phan Van Thanh - 8.0

The defender was rock solid at the back and put up a good show with tackles and blocks. Moreover, he also put in a few perfectly timed challenges to deny India one more goal. He made an important block in the dying minutes of the game as well.

Nguyen Luong Tuan Khai - 7.0

He came up with a block everytime India tried to get in with a set-piece. His presence at the back was nothing short of a blessing for Vietnam as he led the backline with his cool and composure.

Dang Thanh Binh - 7.0

He was solid for the majority of the game and defended brilliantly against India’s frontline. But he also made a mistake with a mispass in the box which could have costed Vietnam one more goal.

Pham Nguyen Quoc Trung - 7.5

He was responsible for keeping the midfield together and did that very well. He made sure that Vietnam moved ahead together as a unit and attacked and defended together. He had a good performance in the middle of the park.

Vi Dinh Thuong - 7.5

Thuong also played a crucial part in the middle to keep things sorted for Vietnam and not allow India any chances. He won a few duels and even initiated good attacking moves with his pinpoint and accurate passing.

Le Dinh Long Vu - 8.0

He scored the opener for Vietnam late in the first half. Long used his pace and finished his shot with pinpoint accuracy to give his side the lead going into half-time. And after the goal, he looked very dangerous every time he had the ball.

Nguyen Cong Phuong - 7.5

The skipper put up a very good performance for his side. He held the ball and initiated attacks on time and held the team together throughout the game. He was very good with his vision and passing.

Nguyen Thien Phu - 7.5

The striker played a major role in Vietnam’s attack for as long as he was there on the pitch. He made bombing runs into the box and troubled the Indian defenders on many occasions. But eventually he was taken off in the closing stages of the game.

Le Huynh Trieu - 8.0

The striker was one of Vietnam’s best players on the pitch. He worked his socks off and created a lot of problems for the Indian backline. His pace coupled with his trickery was a constant threat for India at the back. 

Substitutes

Phung Quang - 7.0

The forward came on to replace Huynh Trieu in the 71st minute. He was very active and raring to get a goal ever since he came on, but couldn’t score.

Nguyen Le Phat - 7.0

The striker came on to replace Nguyen Thien Phu in the 81st minute. Although he is a striker, he made an important defensive block.

Phung Van Nam - N/A

He came on very late in the game and couldn’t make much of an impact.

Nguyen Huu Trong - N/A

He also entered the pitch very late and did not have any impact as such.