Player Ratings: Chhetri, Mahesh lift India to Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 final

The Blue Tigers won four games in a row with four clean sheets for the first time under Igor Stimac’s tenure.

India maintained their 100% win record in the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Vanuatu at the Kalinga Stadium on Monday, June 12.

After being frustrated for the majority of the game, which saw their 20+ shot attempts go astray, India finally scored the winner in the 80th minute thanks to Sunil Chhetri’s explosive strike. This was enough to give them a win and move to the top of the table in the Intercontinental Cup. Here are the player ratings for the game.

Vanuatu player ratings (By Suraj)

Massing Kalotang – 6

Made a few saves and managed to keep the score goalless for the majority of the game. Chhetri’s sniper from short range left him with very little chance as it hit the top of the net.

Brian Kaltack – 7

Brian Kaltack‘s physicality and marshalling of the backline was one of the main reasons the score remained goalless. Unfortunately he was not in a position to close down Chhetri for the winner.

Timothy Loic Boulet – 5

Timothy Loic had a quiet performance and was mostly a cog in the machine of the Vanuatu defense.

Jason Thomas – 4

Although he had some good interventions he suffered at the hands of Mahesh several times in the course of the evening.

John Well Wohale – 5

Put up a decent shift on the wings tonight. He withstood some pressing from the Indian side decently.

Claude Aru – 5

Had an industrious shift in the midfield tonight but was pressed out of possession and forced into some errors by the Indian players.

Alex Saniel – 4

Saniel’s efforts to progress were largely stalled by the Blue Tigers’ defense tonight. He had a quiet night but contributed to the defensive cause.

Jonathan Jack – 5.5

Had a decent outing, out-maneuvered the likes of Rowllin Borges and Rohit Kumar at times and passed well.

Michel Coulon – 5.5

Did not look out of his depth in the middle of the pitch, was vigilant and often required to double up with one of the attackers against India’s rampant wingers.

Godin Tenene – 5

Started operations from the base of midfield but was often overwhelmed when India came attacking late in the second half.

Azariah Soromon – 4

Azariah Soromon received very little service and whenever he got the ball he was kept quiet by Jhingan and co.

India player ratings (By Uttiyo)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 6.0

The reliable India no.1 maintained utmost concentration and discipline in goal – making a few timely saves and coming off his line well to cut out trouble.

Pritam Kotal – 7.0

The Mohun Bagan captain was quite solid on the right, contributing on both ends of the pitch. Quite assertive defensively and did well going forward, whipping in some inviting crosses to validate his start.

Sandesh Jhingan – 7.0

Sandesh was again a commanding figure at the back who didn’t really get his backline get troubled that often. Often cut out attacks using his pace and game-reading skills to help his side get another clean sheet.

Mehtab Singh – 6.5

Mehtab looked quite composed with a leader like Sandesh beside him and was hardly troubled on the night. Did well in distributing the ball and neutralising Vanuatu’s threat on occasions.

Subashish Bose – 7.5

Subashish got a national team start after a long time and definitely grabbed it with both hands. Didn’t really have to do much at the back, but still was a reliable figure whenever needed. Made a few superb forward runs to set up chances, which included a great cross for Chhetri’s strike.

Rohit Kumar – 6.0

The Bengaluru FC man added a lot of energy to the midfield and helped regain possession after India lost out on it. But he was adequate with his deeper position and couldn’t really create any sparks.

Rowllin Borges – 6.0

Rowllin did a decent job at shielding his backline from trouble and passing the ball around but lacked real creativity with his distribution.

Naorem Mahesh Singh – 8.5

In his first start for India, Naorem proved why he’s one to watch for years to come. He was an absolute livewire in the final third, making some fantastic runs that left the defenders scrambling. Created some huge chances with his exquisite delivery and was extremely unlucky not to have an assist or two. His stock in the national team keeps on growing.

Nandhakumar Sekar – 6.0

Nandha had a topsy-turvy full debut for India. He had his lively moments, shooting an attempt just wide in the second half and showcasing decent link-up play at times. But his final product still lacked that ruthlessness and caused moments of frustration.

Liston Colaco – 5.5

Liston made some promising runs into the final third using his trickery but fluffed his lines afterwards. Couldn’t really test the keeper and his delivery was really inconsistent.

Sunil Chhetri – 7.5

After a really frustrating outing, Sunil Chhetri ultimately proved why perseverance always pays off. Despite his decent link-up play, the India captain missed a few golden opportunities – fluffing key chances from close range. Ultimately, however, the captain salvaged himself with a brilliant strike to win the game for India.

Substitutes

Jeakson Singh – 6.0

Jeakson replaced Rowllin at the hour mark and helped progress the ball forward better and encourage more chances.

Anirudh Thapa – 7.0

Thapa was a really menacing figure after he came on, adding that special something with his impressive forward passes and menacing set-piece delivery. Helped open the game up.

Sahal Abdul Samad – 6.5

Sahal wasn’t as explosive as the previous game, but still kept the opposition players guessing with his clever movement in the final third and link-up play.  

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 6.0

Chhangte added an aura of intimidation to India’s attack after coming on, but couldn’t really get stuck to any major chances.

Rahim Ali – N/R

Replace Chhetri in the final minutes and didn’t really do anything of note. 

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