India U23 vs Brunei U23 Player Ratings: Vibin, Aimen impress; Hnamte, Parthib disappoint

India U23 beat Brunei U23 6-0 in the AFC U23 Asia Cup Qualifiers.

The India U23 Football team defeated the Brunei U23 Football team 6-0 in the final game of the group stage fixtures of the AFC U23 Asia Cup Qualifiers on the 9th of September.

The Blue Colts got up to a fiery start as they made no mistake in capitalising on the opponent’s defensive errors to score two successive goals off Vibin Mohanan within the 8-minute mark.

But since then, the Indian players became panicked while the opponents regrouped and created a six-man defence to deny all the attempts made by the Blues at their goal. After constant knocking, Ayush Chhetri found the back of the net to make the score 3-0 at break.

That's full time! A hat-trick by Vibin, a brace from Aimen and one solid goal from Ayush Chhetri cap off India's campaign in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers! The Blue Colts now await the result of the Qatar vs Bahrain match to know their future! #IndianFootball… pic.twitter.com/MgHy8ZkRQ2

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 9, 2025

In the second half, Vibin once again breached the opponent’s net to register his hat-trick. Later, Aimen came in as a substitute and scored two absolute bangers from the left to nail the coffin.

Even though the Blue Colts managed to win with their biggest margin in the Qualifiers, the performance was ironically disappointing, as the margin could have been much bigger, and this margin could have potentially increased the chances of India qualifying for the Asia Cup. However, the misses from the players under pressure created serious damage to the qualification hopes.

Also Read: India U23 vs Brunei U23 Highlights: Follow AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers Replay

Here are the India U23 Player Ratings vs Brunei U23

Sahil Poonia – 6

Sahil did not have a hectic day at the office, as the Brunei players were more or less defensively focused throughout the match. The game was so one-sided that the keeper did not have to touch the ball for the vast majority of the match, apart from making some routine clearances and initiating some build-ups. Though Sahil was put to some feeble tests during some rare instances by the opponents in the form of long shots, he did well.

Muhammed Saheef – 6

Saheef set the ball pretty well in the attack, but none of the Indian players were able to place themselves at the end of it. Switched between centre-back and full-back positions with Harsh. Supported Vibin and provided the player autonomy to move towards the centre and attack. Was subbed off in the second half as the player did not have much to do in the backline.

Harsh Palande – 6

Harsh did not make any significant contribution to the Blue Colts throughout the match, mainly because he was rarely tested in the backline. Came a bit forward to the defensive midfield area and kept the backline high and even managed to trap the opponents offside almost half a dozen times. During a few instances, he attempted to pull the strings in the attack, he was properly neutralised by the opponents.

Bikash Yumnam – 6

Bikash was a tall man lurking in the second post during set-pieces, and constantly won the ball and took shots at the far post. However, almost all of them missed the goal by inches. Defensively, he did not have much to do as Harsh did the defensive duties decently. Apart from the first quarter of the game, the captain’s performance was underwhelming as he was unable to create a large impact wherever he was involved.

Ricky Meitei – 6.5

Ricky ventured deep into the attacking third and made some good overlapping runs to craft chances for India offensively. Later, when the Blue Colts were finding it difficult to break the six-man Brunei defence, the defender became frustrated and conceded a rash foul, leading to him getting booked a yellow card. Created a panic during the attack rather than sticking to the basics and apart from creating a total mess, it did not benefit the Blues.

Lalrinliana Hnamte – 5.5

Hnamte made some cameo appearances in the up front and tested the last line of defence. But later, the Mizo midfielder disappointed as he lacked composure and took some shots at goal from distance, which skied over the bar, even though he had better passing options. Was average and could have done better in multiple aspects of the game.

Ayush Chhetri – 7

Ayush was superior in duels and won the balls efficiently from the Brunei players in the attacking half, and progressed forward towards the offensive third.

Provided some key passes and through balls inside the box past the defenders, but despite this, Sreekuttan was unable to convert these balls under pressure. Scored the third goal for the Blue Colts in the 42nd minute to bring back the lost momentum.

Vibin Mohanan – 9

HAT-TRICK FOR VIBIN MOHANAN! The midfielder scores a stellar free-kick to make it 4-0 for the Blue Colts in the 62nd minute! India U23 4-0 Brunei U23#IndianFootball #indianu23footballteam #AFCU23Qualifiers pic.twitter.com/RrCHnOpD1N

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 9, 2025

Vibin, on his first appearance, made his presence felt right from the first whistle. Was good in positioning and tapped in the opener for the Blue Colts and provided the momentum. Just minutes later, the 22-year-old doubled the advantage for India by chipping a perfectly weighted ball over the Brunei keeper.

In the second half, the player took a curving free kick to register the fourth goal for India and complete his hat-trick. The Blasters midfielder even provided some teasing passes from the wings to mount pressure on the already devastated Brunei team. Did not lose the intent and hunger to score more and is arguably the Man of the Match for the day.

Mohammed Sanan K – 6.5

Sanan tested the opponents with his powerful shots from distance during multiple instances. However, the player was struggling in the wings and was unable to provide any quality crosses to his teammates in the 6-yard box.

Although he was very mobile, he failed to produce any output due to positioning problems. Adding to his dismay, he was injured in the 30th minute and was subbed off just after the drinks break.

Sreekuttan MS – 5

Sreekuttan did not have a good match as he was constantly making bad touches and even missed a golden opportunity to score in an open net. Somewhere down the line, it felt like the NorthEast United forward was missing his scoring boot. Later, he was deployed as a winger and managed to assist the third goal. Early in the first half, Sreekuttan was once again terrible, missing tap-ins in an empty goal.

Muhammed Suhail – 6

Suhail was very vibrant on the right flank, and the winger covered almost every blade of grass on the wing, providing some teasing crosses into the Brunei penalty box and piling immense pressure upon them. Made an accelerated run and assisted with the opener of the match.

Later, as the game progressed, his contribution remained minimal as Suhail was present in the byline, dribbling opponents and making passes into the 18-yard box rather than attempting to take shots at goal, where the player excels.

Substitutes

Parthib Gogoi – 4

Came in as a substitute in the 31st minute and was booked by the referee for an unnecessary argument with the Brunei players. Later, the player was struggling and was terrible whenever he had the ball with him.

Sahil Harijan – 5

The fresh leg provided a cut-back in one of his very first involvements in the game. Just minutes later, Sahil was disappointed as he missed a 1v1 goal-scoring opportunity with the keeper. Later, he had bad first touches and missed some tap-ins to become yet another disappointing player on the pitch.

Mohammed Aimen – 8

Mohammed Aimen scores the last goal of the night as India claim a 6-0 win over Brunei in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers!India U23 6-0 Bahrain U23#IndianFootball #indianu23footballteam #AFCU23Qualifier pic.twitter.com/DGvixe5AZh

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 9, 2025

Aimen was very assertive on the left flank and did well to dribble past the opponents and provide some carpet passes into the six-yard area. Scored a banger in the 86th minute, taking a powerful shot from outside the box to score his first goal. Later, he once again scored in the same manner to make the score 6-0.

Soham – 7

Soham could have been a threat to the opponents and could have bagged a few goals for the Blue Colts if the player had been bought in a bit earlier. However, the lack of minutes on the pitch meant that the player was unable to display his potential.

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