Ratings: Sadiku shines as Mohun Bagan dance into Durand Cup final

Mohun Bagan edge past FC Goa with a 2-1 victory

After defeating FC Goa by a score of 2-1 on Thursday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Mohun Bagan Super Giant punched their ticket to the finals of the 132nd edition of the Durand Cup. The game got off to a strong start for FC Goa as they dominated the midfield and had total control of the proceedings. They thus scored the game’s opening goal in the 23rd minute.

Mohun Bagan scored their equaliser in the 42nd minute thanks to a penalty from Jason Cummings. Although there was just as much activity in the second half, it was far less intense. Goa lacked direction and struggled to get past the Green & Maroon resistance. On the other side, Mohun Bagan took the lead thanks to an outstanding long-range shot by Armando Sadiku in the 61st minute. Goa increased the pressure as the game was coming to a close, but Mariners defied everything they needed to reach to the finals.

Here are the Player Ratings for the game.

FC Goa (By Sonal Fernandes)

Dheeraj Singh – 6

Good early saves from the keeper. Commanded the 6 yard box on corners well and did not have much of a chance with any of the goals.

Seriton Fernandes – 7

Solid from start to End. Hardly allowed Ashique to get past him.

Odei Onaindia – 7

Was comfortable in defence up until the second half when Mohun Bagan amped up the pressure.

Sandesh Jhingan – 6

Dealt with everything that came his way ver well early on. Commanded the defence really well, especially on set pieces but a rare mistake in the second half was punished by Mohun Bagan to take the lead. 

Jay Gupta – 6

Really involved early on in the match but made the mistake that saw Mohun Bagan awarded a penalty which helped the home team get back on level terms. Almost scored the equaliser in the second half added time

Carl Mchugh – 7

Economical on the ball and also excelled in providing the defence with some much-needed support when Mohun Bagan was dominating.

Raynier Fernandes – 6

A solid performance in midfield but could have provided more in possession.

Udanta Singh – 6

Provided the FC Goa attack with good width. Switched wings at halftime and wasn’t as effective in the second half. 

Victor Rodriguez – 7

Was a threat to the opposition’s defence. Linked with Noah well to constantly provide a threat by playing in between the opposition lines.

Brandon Fernandes – 6

Played for only 45 minutes. Looked lively when on the pitch and almost created a second goal but it was saved on the line by the Mohun Bagan defender.

Noah Sadaoui – 8

Took advantage of the misplaced pass from Boumous brilliantly to score the opening goal of the match. Was a constant threat throughout the match, and could have done better had he received some support from his attacking team mates.

Substitution

Boris Singh – 5

Came on at half time in place of Brandon Fernandes but ws hardly involved

Carlos Martinez – 5

Tried to link up to create some chances but couldn’t manage to create an opportunity for himself or his team mates.

Rowlin Borges – 6

Came on when his side was behind and almost equalised for the Gaurs

Paulo Retre – 6

Few good passes but the match situation demanded a lot more.

Saviour Gama – 6

Was involved quite a lot after he came on but couldn’t manage to find the magical spark to help his side.

Mohun Bagan Super Giants (By Analoy Majumder)

Vishal Kaith – 7.0

Vishal Kaith as always was very confident under the post and he saved quite a few positive attacks created by the goan forwards. Vishal should have been more assertive in the six-yard box when Noah Sadaoui scored. Also, he made some important saves in the second half.

Anwar Ali- 6.5

Anwar was quite good throughout the game. Made some positive clearances in the backline. Partnered with Subhasish but could have performed better.

Anirudh Thapa- 6.0

Anirudh Thapa till now has not been able to perform and met many fan’s expectations. He made a few positive moves in the midfield and left to convert any scoring opportunities for the team.

D. Petratos – 7.0

Dimitri Petratos’s with the ball movements in today’s match was quite impressive. He tried to put the opponent’s defence busy by deliverying danger crosses into the final third of FC Goa. Petratos also created some goal scoring opportunities for his side but left to convert.

Hugo Boumous- 6.5

Boumous controlled the midfiled today for the Mariners with quite a number of attacking runs, defence splitting passes and delivered good comand. In the second half Boumous was substituted and Armando Sadiku came in place of him.

Subhasish Bose- 7.0

The skipper never fails to motivate his team. We have seen Subhasish motivating his team when FC Goa were ahead with one goal. Subhasish as usual was defensively solid today in the backline of MBSG’s side.

Sahal Abdul Samad- 6.5

Sahal’s presentation today lacked his usual spark. His attacking could have been much more effective, although he did show a lot willingness to confuse the FC Goa defence.

Ashique Kuruniyan- 7.0

Ashique did well in today’s game against Goa. He had his involvement in both defence and offence and also he did quite well in the midfiled alongside Sahal, Boumous and Sadiku. Also, most importantly Ashique earned the penalty for his team from which Jason cummings scored the equaliser for the mariners.

Hector Yuste- 7.5

The Spanish centre-back was strong in his position and delivered strong command over the match. His ball holding capacity, positive tackles and multiple interceptions made him stand out among the other defenders today. Hector Yuste when defending against Goa, he was powerful and certain. Along with his excellent defence, yuste also made effective forward passes for his team.

Jason Cummings- 8.5

Jason Cummings was the show-stopper for Mohun Bagan SG today. He pulled out the equaliser from the spot kick in the first half after FC Goa were leading with one goal. Moved the ball around well in the attacking third of Goa and created multiple goal scoring moments pairing with Sahal, Sadiku, Boumous and Ashique.

Asish Rai- 6.5

Asish Rai did his job well today, obviously not played his best but gave assurance that he is getting better with matches. He was quick in the wing for the MBSG and came for overlapping quite a lot of times. His long-range passing was also impressive in addition to that.

Substitutes

Armando Sadiku- 7.5

Sadiku came in as a substitute but stole the show. No doubt he would have been proved much more effective if brought earlier by Juan Ferrando. His goal in the second half confirmed the finale tickets for the Mariners.

Liston Colaco- 6.5

The attacking stability Liston provided at the game’s finish was impressive. He would have definitely done better if brought early in the game.

Manvir Singh- 6.0

Manivr Singh was not much involved today but participated in few of attacking opportunities created by the green and maroon army. Having come on in the second half, Manvir created a number of chances but left to increase the lead.

Brendan Hamill- 6.0

The Australian defender gave good support alongside Yuste and Subhasish Bose at the backline. He was conisistent and determined with his performance after he was brought in the pitch in place of Anirudh Thapa.

Fans of Indian football have a new reason to mark their calendars on 3rd of September as the Durand Cup final will feature yet another Kolkata derby after 19 years.

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