East Bengal FC vs Al-Seeb Player Ratings: David Lalhlansanga & Sandip Mandi disappoint in AFC Champions League Two clash
East Bengal suffered a 0-2 defeat against Al-Seeb.
East Bengal suffered a dampening 0-2 defeat at the hands of Al-Seeb in the AFC Champions League Two, which makes it close to impossible for them to qualify to the knockout stage of the continental competition.
They were the dominant side for the first hour of the game, with the likes of Mohammed Rashid and Dani Ramirez missing sitters that could’ve propelled them to a comfortable lead.
The tide quickly turned in the final 10 minutes of the game, as the patient Al-Seeb committed bodies forward, and put enough pressure on the East Bengal backline to sneak in a goal.
Anwar Ali’s injury in the 18th minute played a major role in East Bengal’s defensive lapses as his replacement Sandip Mandi could not stop Axel Meye from bullying him on his way to score the first in the 85th minute.
The Torchbearers threw everyone forward in a bid to score an equalizer but Al-Seeb finished off a quick counterattack that took the game well away from the Indian team.
In this article, we provide ratings for all the East Bengal players from today’s match.
East Bengal Player Ratings
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Phurba Lachenpa 6/10
Lachenpa was relatively out of action in the match until the 75th minute when he majestically saved a header from point blank range, keeping East Bengal in the game.
He conceded at the near post from a terrific low finish by Axel Meye in the 85th minute, not a good look for any keeper.
In additional time, he conceded the second, from a flashing counterattack by Al-Seeb, culminating in a precise finish in the bottom corner.
Chungnunga 5/10
Holding the fort on the right hand side of defense, Nunga allowed Bipin Singh to make marauding runs down the right flank in the first half. He was a little shoddy with his passing.
Nunga was a silent spectator on the other side of the box in the 85th minute as Al-Seeb scored the late goal. For the second goal, he was among the players who had darted forward to score an equalizing goal, and failed to track back in time.
Diego Zivulic 6/10
A relatively solid performance from Zivulic at the back for the Red and Gold army today. He distributed the ball with cruise control from the back and had a solid all-round game. The Al-Seeb attackers constantly struggled to get past him in the last line of defense.
This changed in the final minutes of the game as the defense and Zivulic were found wanting of balance and composure, when the Torchbearers needed it the most.
Anwar Ali 5/10
Anwar Ali suffered an unfortunate injury in the 18th minute and had to be substituted out for Sandip Mandi. During his short span on the pitch, Anwar was his usual rock-solid self.
Jay Gupta 4/10
Jay Gupta found himself on the far ends of the left flank on a number of occasions but couldn’t translate his runs into productive crosses for the strikers in the box.
Majority of the East Bengal attacks came from the other wing, and on one occasion Jay Gupta came close to scoring with a late run into the box, but the chance was squandered. He also failed to stop the decisive cross in the 85th minute from the left which ended in Al-Seeb’s goal.
Bipin Singh 6/10
Bipin Singh almost operated as a right wing back today, away from his favorable position of left wing, where he has succeeded consistently for the likes of Mumbai City in the past.
Despite having a lot of touches, Bipin could not provide any quality crosses that the forwards could pounce upon. He attempted a left footed attempt in the 20th minute that was nowhere near goal.
Jeakson Singh 6/10
In his one hour on the pitch, Jeakson did not leave much room for error.
Operating in the heart of the midfield, he did well to retain the ball and keep the pressure on Al-Seeb, also making clearances and interceptions when necessary.
Mohammed Rashid 5/10
For his reputation, the East Bengal captain was suboptimal at best. He managed to be everywhere on the pitch, as he usually is, but could not produce any impactful moments that could’ve changed the result of the game.
He had a massive opportunity to score in the 20th minute with his head but put it well wide. It was among the major chances that East Bengal came to rue in the end.
Edmund Lalrindika 5/10
Far removed from his usual enigmatic self, the poster boy of East Bengal’s attack failed to deliver when it mattered most. He lost possession as many as ten times as well.
He was quite lively in the initial stages of the game and played some good fluid football, combining with his fellow forwards, but just lacked a decisive moment that could’ve helped his team.
David Lalhlansanga 4/10
Toothless in front of goal today, David did not manage a single shot in the opening hour where he played. A horrific outing for the young striker on a day that he’d like to forget.
Dani Ramirez 6/10
One does feel for Dani Ramirez given the sheer relentlessness with which he kept going forward time and again, without anything to show for it.
He took a staggering amount of shots today by himself – five, and none could cross the goal line. However he came the closest to scoring and was denied by the keeper on two of the five occasions.
Substitutes
Sandip Mandi 3/10
A very poor show by the 24-year-old. Filling the shoes of Anwar Ali is a very difficult task, as we saw today.
It was Mandi who was bamboozled by Axel Meye with a sharp turn, before Meye unleashed a rasping shot into the near corner.
The absence of Anwar in that position became glaringly evident, and the Red and Gold fans have been left to wonder what could’ve been had it been Anwar instead of Sandip in the box today.
Aké Arnaud Loba 4/10
Introduced by Habas at the hour-mark to bolster hts attack, Loba failed to make any impact on the game. He failed to shoot even once, managing an astoundingly low 6 touches on the ball.
Rohit Kumar 5/10
A like-for-like change in place of Jeakson Singh, Rohit did not have a memorable game, although he did not make any big errors either.
Hardik Bhatt 4/10
Bhatt replaced Bipin on the right flank and could not contain the numerous Al-Seeb attacks that stemmed from the wings in the final minutes.
Lukasz Zwolinski 4/10
The Polish forward also could not register a shot for the Red and Gold army after coming on in the 71st minute, getting caught offside on one occasion.
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