Ratings: Hijazi Maher shines as East Bengal stop Mumbai City

Both Mumbai City and East Bengal have now registered two successive goalless draws.

In a high-octane end-to-end clash, Mumbai City FC faced East Bengal, culminating in a draw where both teams failed to open their accounts. Petr Kratky, seeking victory at his home debut, fell short. Despite the stalemate, East Bengal perceived the draw as a triumph against a formidable opponent.

The match showcased intense back-and-forth action, yet neither side managed to break the deadlock. Kratky’s home debut, though devoid of a win, added another layer of anticipation for future encounters. The draw left both teams with lessons and highlights, setting the stage for potential fireworks in their future engagements.

Here are the player ratings from the game.

Mumbai City FC (By Atawaris Warsi)

Phurba Lachenpa – 7

The goalkeeper was strong between the posts. He didn’t quite receive too many shots, but whatever he did receive, he dealt with them brilliantly.

Rahul Bheke – 7.5

The skipper led the team by example, thwarting several attacking displays from the Red & Gold Brigade’s forwards.

Tiri – 8

An excellent defensive display by the Spaniard, demonstrating exceptional grit and determination to block East Bengal’s chances.

Mehtab Singh – 6.5

Partnered well with Tiri and was rock solid in defence. Was substituted in the second half.

Akash Mishra – 7

The left-back completed every assignment assigned to him by the coach. He was offensively active, and his crosses created numerous opportunities for the Islanders.

Yoell van Nieff – 7

A defensively stable performance from him kept the East Bengal attackers at bay. He was substituted in the second half.

Apuia –  7.5

The youngster controlled the midfield for Mumbai City FC. He was defensively strong as well.

Jayesh Rane – 7.5

He was top-notch in connecting the defence and attack. Jayesh was the main man behind Mumbai City’s few chances.

Greg Stewart – 8

Once again, a strong performance by the Scottish international, who stood out as the top performer for Mumbai City FC, offensively. However, the midfielder was substituted after the 80th minute.

Bipin Singh – 7

Provided the edge on the flanks with his runs, but couldn’t quite capitalise on the chances he received in the first half.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz – 6.5

Jorge Pereyra Diaz failed to add to his goal tally this season, but he was active throughout the game and gave his best effort.

Substitutes

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 7.5

He provided the Islanders with the much-needed pace to build their attacks quickly but couldn’t help the team score a goal.

Rostyn Griffiths –  7.5

He came on in the second half and made valuable contributions both offensively and defensively for the team.

Vinit Rai –  7

Vinit provided the defensive edge to the Islanders, especially after El Khayati was brought onto the field.

El Khayati –  6.5

He didn’t have much time to make an impact, but his dribbles did give the East Bengal defenders some headaches.

Vikram Partap Singh –  N/A

East Bengal (by Uttiyo Sarkar)

Prabhsukhan Gill – 7.5

Prabhsukhan was an agile figure in the box, coming up with clever cross collection time and again. Made a huge reflex save to deny the hosts in the second half.

Nishu Kumar – 7.5

Nishu did a solid job in frustrating Akash Mishra and came up with five key clearances to neutralize Mumbai’s threat, including a superb clearance in the 80th minute.

Lalchungnunga – 7.0

Despite a shaky start, Lalchungnunga held together a compact defensive shape and did not give the Islanders any freedom in the final third.

Hijazi Maher – 8.5

Maher proved his quality with a brilliant defensive display against the relentless attacking moves of Mumbai City. He read the moves superbly, making 14 clearances and five possession recoveries – as well as keeping Diaz quiet. 

Mandar Rai Dessai – 8.0

Mandar was a thorn in the left for his former side, being very composed and combative. He made three interceptions and clearances each to frustrate the Islanders.

Saul Crespo – 8.5

Crespo was like a hawk in midfield, scanning Mumbai’s moves and putting an end to them efficiently. He worked extremely hard, making 10 possession recoveries, winning seven duels and two tackles to limit the Islanders’ movement in the central areas.

Souvik Chakrabarti – 6.5

Souvik contributed in keeping a pretty solid midfield line and helped his backline with four important clearances too.

Borja Herrera – 6.0

Borja failed to really implement his magic in the game, not getting enough of the ball and mostly having to defend. Unable to create anything for his side.

Naorem Mahesh Singh – 6.0

Mahesh was also forced to be in the defensive end for most part of the game. He was successful in making two clearances and wining three duels. Couldn’t create anything prominent or test the opposition goalkeeper.

PV Vishnu – 6.0

Vishnu worked hard defensively to support Mandar and helped frustrate the hosts in the first half, but was unable to create anything.

Cleiton Silva – 5.0

Cleiton was a lonely, frustrated figure in the opposition half. The East Bengal captain couldn’t create a moment of magic, only having a weak shot saved late on.

Substitutes

Nandhakumar Sekar – 6.0

Nandha couldn’t really add any major attacking threat after replacing Vishnu and had a late shot blocked for a corner. 

Javier Siverio – N/A

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