Kolkata Derby Player Ratings: Nongdamba the hero for Mohun Bagan

The Mariners extended their lead at the top of the table with the win.

The coveted Kolkata Derby ended in favour of Mohun Bagan, as the Mariners defeated eternal rivals East Bengal 2-1 to strengthen their position at the top of the I-League points table. Goals in each half from Joseba Beitia and Papa Babacar Diawara propelled Kibu Vicuna's men to win this historic fixture after a span of two long years. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Here are the player ratings from the Kolkata Derby: Mohun Bagan Sankar Roy- 6.0 Not at his best today, Sankar had a very shaky game. He was decent with his passing and deliveries. But, at the same time, was indecisive with his judgement and almost conceded a penalty which was later ruled out for a handball. Ashutosh Mehta- 7.0 Ashutosh Mehta carried on his great form and was a constant threat down the right flank. He had a great understanding with Suhair and kept Abhishek Ambekar on his toes. He also put in a strong shift defensively. Dhanachandra Singh- 6.5 His experience played a crucial role, as he out-muscled Pintu Mahata and neutralised the threat from East Bengal's right flank. However, as the game progressed he was tiring and was slow to react in some situations. Sk. Sahil- 6.5  Sahil had another eventful match for the Mariners, as he supported Fran Gonzalez with aplomb and recycled possession really well. However, he was dominated by Kassim Aidara at times and also lost the ball which is very uncharacteristic of him. VP Suhair- 6.0 Suhair had a pretty silent game, but he combined well with Diawara and also held the ball well upfront. His layoffs to Ashutosh Mehta and Joseba Beitia threatened the East Bengal defence. [KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Nongdamba Naorem- 8.0 The player of the first half, Naorem showed immaculate control as well as the ability to run with the ball and dribble past opponents at will. The India U-17 international showed some great skills on the ball, keeping Kamalpreet Singh on his toes. He dribbled past Pintu Mahata and Kamalpreet inside the penalty area before sending in an inch-perfect cross for Joseba Beitia to head home.

Substitutions

Gurjinder Singh- 4.0 Gurjinder came in for the injured Ashutosh Mehta and was immediately put under pressure by East Bengal's forwards on his side of the field. Moments later, a great ball from Edmund allowed Espada through on goal. Gurjinder was slow to react to the situation and it resulted in a goal for the visitors. Britto PM- 5.5 Replaced Suhair and was mostly involved in helping his defenders, as East Bengal were on top at that point of time. He bombed forward on the counter and held the ball up well. Lalramchullova- N/A Came on late to provide more energy in defence to cope up with East Bengal's late onslaught.

East Bengal

Lalthuammawia Ralte- 6.0 Ralte was pretty good in goal and was good with his deliveries. He also came up with a fantastic point-blank save in the first half which kept his team in the game. He conceded a needless corner in the second half from which Baba Diawara scored the winning goal. Kamalpreet Singh- 4.5 The former Punjab FC right-back was under pressure throughout the game from Naorem. He was out of position at times and allowed the youngster to exploit spaces in the final third. Nevertheless, Kamalpreet bombed forward in transition and delivered some good crosses. [KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Mehtab Singh- 5.5 Replaced Asheer Akhtar in defence and did not look convincing at all in the first half. However, his nerves settled as the game went on, but he was late to react in some situations and also gave away the ball cheaply at times. Abhishek Ambekar- 6.0 The former Mohun Bagan man was good with his overlapping runs and deliveries into the box, but defensively he was caught out of position at times. Lalrindika Ralte- 5.0 Lalrindika had a mixed outing. He had a good game mostly from dead-ball situations, but was equally poor from open play. He lost the ball in crucial areas and came up with several unforced errors. Alejandro Menendez would have wanted more out of his captain in the Kolkata Derby. [KH_ADWORDS type="1" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Pintu Mahata- 5.0 The former Mohun Bagan winger looked very much off-colour in the Kolkata Derby. He struggled against the physically superior Dhanachandra and hardly had any impact in his team's attack.

Substitutions

Edmund Lalrindika- 7.0 The 19-year-old winger came on at the hour mark and simply changed the course of the game. He brought more energy to East Bengal's attack and was the orchestrator of Marcos de la Espada's goal. However, his time on the field was cut short with an injury. Avijit Sarkar- N/A Came on for the injured Edmund Lalrindika and did not have as much impact as the man from Mizoram. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Foreign Players

Mohun Bagan Fran Morante (6.5), Daneil Cyrus (7.5), Fran Gonzalez (7.0), Joseba Beitia (8.5), Baba Diawara (7.5). East Bengal Marti Crespi (7.0), Kassim Aidara (5.5), Juan Mera Gonzalez (7.0), Jaime Santos Colado (6.0), Marcos Jimenez Espada (6.5).