Ratings: Madih Talal's heroics earn Punjab FC maiden victory in ISL

Goalkeeper Kiran Limbu also had a clinical performance.

Punjab FC clinched their maiden victory in the Indian Super League (ISL), dominating Chennaiyin FC throughout the match. Under Staikos’ strategic guidance, Madih Talal secured the winning goal for the North Indian side.

Despite Chennaiyin’s two goals being disallowed due to interference with the Punjab FC goalkeeper, Staikos and his team remain unfazed. The triumph, achieved in the 11th game, marks a significant moment for Punjab FC, who are set to celebrate their well-deserved success.

Punjab FC (by Rutvij Joshi)

Kiran Limbu – 7.5

Kiran was hardly called for defensive actions during the game and was helping his side maintain the pressure with his sweeping abilities. 

K. Lhungdim – 6.5

Lhungdim showed his skills in the attacking aspect of the game and was more confident during the offensive transitions. 

Suresh Meitei – 6

Suresh did not have much to do defensively as the team bossed the game from the first minute.

Dimitrios Chatziisaias – 7

Dimitros stood tall winning the aerial duels and positioned himself well to not let counter attacks bypass him

Nitesh Darjee – 7

Nitesh ran down the left flank and combined well with the midfielders. He also intercepted balls from midfield which were meant for Coonor Shields.

Ashis Pradhan – 7

Ashish created spaces for Talal to work his magic whilst making sure there were no casualties in midfield

Amarjit Singh – 7

Amarjit’s positioning was top notch intercepting the passes from the midfield as well as pulling the strings during possession.

Samuel Lyngdoh – 7

Samuel’s raw talent was on display today, His dribbling and pace was very heartening to see but his inexperience got the better of him at times where he went for glory himself losing the ball.

Madih Talal – 9

Madih Talal was the best player on the pitch . He squandered the chance in the first half but made up for it in the second half.

Abhishek Singh – 5

Abhishek was poor with his offensive games. He could not deliver crosses and was loosing ball rather easily.

Luka Majcen – 6

Luka was poor with the ball with his feet but he was a physical presence drawing attention from the Chennaiyin defenders. 

Substitutions

Krishnananda Singh – 7

Krishnanda gave a different dimension to the game. He was a creative workhorse from the left running with the ball.

Brandon Vanlalremdika – 7

Brandon  created a couple of charges after coming on after the 70th minute.

Juan Mera – 7

Juan Mera nearly scored a goal with his first touch only to be deflected by Jordan Wilmar Gil.

Jordan Gil – 6

Jordan tried his luck a couple of times but was unsuccessful and unconvincing.

Chennaiyin FC (By JN Balraj)

Debjit Majumder (GK) – 7

The custodian was solid between the sticks with four saves to his name. Debjit made three saves from inside the box and a high claim.

Sarthak Golui – 7.5

Sarthak was, undoubtedly, the best Chennaiyin player on the night. His numbers include four tackles, as many clearances – one off the line, two blocks and five crosses. 

Bikash Yumnam – 6.5

The Centre-back made three clearances, two blocks and a successful tackle. Bikash looked sturdy in the game.

Ryan Edwards – 6.5

The Chennaiyin captain led the defensive line with responsibility, and there’s not much to complain about. 

Ankit Mukherjee – 6.5

Ankit looked good before being substituted due to injury. He registered one interception and two tackles in the fifteen minutes he played.

Jiteshwor Singh – 6

Jiteshwor was mostly seen doing the dirty work in the middle of the park, made six fouls and was involved in 10 duels winning two.

Ayush Adhikari – 6

Ayush was sloppy with the ball and lacked distribution through tight spaces. He lost possession 16 times and committed three fouls.

Ninthoi Meetei – 5.5

Ninthoi looked like an athlete more than a footballer in the game. Apart from continuous running, he made two blocks to contribute defensively.

Rafael Crivellaro – 6

The maestro couldn’t penetrate through Punjab’s defence and was too predictable at times. Rafa failed to create anything for his attackers and lost possession 18 times.

Connor Shields – 5

The Scottish forward was only seen twice in the game, when he missed a sitter and secondly during his substitution at hour mark.

Jordan Murray – 7

The Viper was a livewire in the sleeping Chennaiyin attack. Jordan created a big chance to score for Shields and attempted three shots himself.

Substitutions

Sachu Siby – 6

Siby replaced Ankit after his unfortunate injury. He did fairly good in such a situation with two successful tackles and an interception in the game.

Vincy Barretto – 6.5

Vincy came in for Ninthoi and provided Chennaiyin with the missing spark on the flanks. He created one scoring chance.

Cristian Battocchio – 6.5

Cristian was spot on with the ball distribution and would hope to get more game time after today’s performance.

Irfan Yadwad – 6.5

The young striker impressed with his little cameo at the end. Irfan created one goal-scoring opportunity and attempted one himself as well.

Romario Jesuraj – 6.5

The winger delivered three crosses and four pin-point direct balls. He played a key pass and won a duel defensively.

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