East Bengal FC vs NorthEast United FC Indian Player Ratings: Anwar Ali impresses; Parthib & Macarton disappoints
East Bengal FC get their first win of the ISL 2025-26 campaign
East Bengal FC produced a complete performance as they brushed aside NorthEast United FC 3-0 to move to the top of the table of the Indian Super League.
From the first whistle, East Bengal looked sharper, hungrier and firmly in control, while NorthEast struggled to get a foothold in the game.
Their latest addition, Ezzejjari, starred with a brace, showing his quality in front of goal, and Miguel added the third to cap off a dominant night, as East Bengal FC thrashed the Highlanders.
NorthEast United looked out of sorts throughout, unable to match East Bengal’s tempo and intent.
NorthEast United FC Player Ratings (by Ayushman Sharma)
Gurmeet Singh Chahal – 6.5/10
Gurmeet Singh played a key role in preventing a heavy defeat for NorthEast, making important saves that kept the scoreline from turning into a 4–0 or 5–0 loss. He showed good reflexes and handled constant pressure well throughout the game.
However, he looked shaky with his ball distribution, with a few uncomfortable moments while playing from the back. A solid performance overall, but improvement in passing is needed.
Samte – 4/10
Samte looked rusty throughout the match and struggled to find his rhythm. He lost his man during the second goal, which proved costly, and overall appeared shaky in defensive situations.
The lack of game time was clearly visible, as he seemed short on sharpness and confidence. A difficult outing where consistency and match fitness were missing.
Asheer Akhtar – 4/10
Asheer Akhtar looked out of sorts and never really settled into the game. He seemed lost at times and was far from his usual self, struggling to make a positive impact.
He also committed a few careless mistakes that led to repercussions for the team, making it an overall disappointing performance.
Redeem Tlang – 6/10
Redeem looked lively until around the 60th minute, being actively involved across the pitch and contributing well in attacking phases. He showed good energy and presence whenever the team moved forward.
Defensively, he was fairly decent but lacked sharpness at key moments, which affected his overall impact as the game progressed. He made place for Dinesh Singh at the 86th minute of the game.
Mayakkannan Muthu – 4.5/10
Maya struggled to make an impact in midfield and often looked lost during the game.
He failed to impose himself, rarely getting involved or influencing the flow of play, which made him largely invisible throughout the match.
Macarton Nickson – 3.5/10
Macarton tried to operate as a number 8 but looked completely out of touch throughout the game. He struggled to keep possession, lost easy touches, and failed to find any real rhythm in midfield.
He was largely dominated by East Bengal’s midfield, making it a difficult outing where he couldn’t influence the game positively. He played 72 minutes and did not make any impact in the game.
Jithin M.S – 5/10
Jithin was the only player who looked threatening going forward and showed good intent in attack throughout the game. His movement and energy helped create some promising moments for the team.
However, he struggled to time his runs properly and often looked out of sync, which prevented him from making the most of attacking opportunities despite his dangerous presence. He was subbed off after 62 minutes due to a potential injury scare.
Parthib Gogoi – 3/10
Parthib had a difficult game, looking lost for most of the match and failing to make an impact in the box.
He struggled with positioning and couldn’t time his runs properly, which meant he was rarely a real threat going forward. He was eventually subbed off at 72nd minute.
Substitutes
Rinzuala – 5.5/10
Rinzuala came on for Parthib Gogoi in the 72nd minute and looked livelier after entering the game. He positioned himself well and managed to get into a few dangerous areas inside the box.
However, despite the promising movement, he couldn’t make a decisive impact or convert those moments into something meaningful for the team.
Lalbiakdika – 4/10
Lalbiakdika came on for Asheer in the 86th minute and didn’t have enough time to make a significant impact.
However, he looked decent in his brief appearance despite the limited minutes.
Thoi Singh – 6/10
Thoi Singh came on in the 63rd minute for Jithin and immediately looked dangerous on the right-hand side, adding pace and attacking intent. He created some promising moments going forward and brought energy to the flank.
However, his defensive contribution was limited, as he struggled to track back consistently and support the backline.
Dinesh Singh – 3.5/10
Dinesh Singh came on for Redeem Tlang in the 86th minute but looked shaky during his short time on the pitch.
He struggled to settle into the game and delivered a very average performance overall.
Danny Meitei – 5/10
Danny Meitei looked decent during his time on the pitch and showed some positive intent. He came in for Macarton at the 72nd minute.
However, he didn’t get enough minutes to properly influence the game or prove his impact.
East Bengal FC Player Ratings (by Rohit Mistri )
Prabhshukan Singh Gill – 6/10
Prabhshukan had a good start, keeping a clean sheet at home against NorthEast United FC. But all over the match, he just stood tall as a spectator because East Bengal FC’s attack was ruthless tonight. In the first 45 minutes, Northeast couldn’t do anything, but in the second, they tested Gill very often, followed by some good crosses.
Lalchunnunga – 6/10
He didn’t get tested over a long period. The anger issues regarding him had decreased simultaneously. Calmness over the pitch today, also good with attacking pace, also very reliable when defensive action occurred. Many times during the game, he was good whenever the NorthEast United attacking threat knocked on the door.
Anwar Ali – 8/10
Anwar Ali impressed in the game against NorthEast United FC. He was good at his game. After a long time, in the absence of Kevin Sibble, Anwar Ali played exceptionally in the back. Anwar did well to resist the opponents from scoring goals and caught highlanders many times when they were attacking. Anwar Ali put in a composed and assured performance at the heart of the defence. He read the game well, making timely interceptions and showing good awareness to cut out danger before it developed. Strong in his duels and calm under pressure, he helped maintain defensive stability throughout the match.
Jeakson Singh – 5/10
Was average in the back. Kevin Sibble’s injury offered Jeakson this new role, as Oscar Bruzon tested him at the back with Anwar Ali. He was not challenged much for the match between East Bengal vs Northeast, but he was average whenever Anwar Ali needed him to stop the Highlanders attack.
Jay Gupta – 5/10
An early setback in the first game, at home for Jay Gupta. He is the new inclusion for Red and Gold Bridage, as he played 17 games last season for FC Goa. But in today’s match, it looks like he didn’t put that effort or can say he didn’t look like a proper outlet for Bipin Singh from the left. Losing many balls, as this was a concern for him. Attempted to provide some crosses into the box, but almost all of the shots lacked the proper weight.
Nandhakumar Sekhar – 5/10
Looked sharp at first, but at Saltlake Stadium he didn’t show up with his quality. Got some good opportunities for crosses to find the opener for East Bengal. He had a quiet game upfront and isolated for most of the game.
Bipin Singh – 7/10
He was all over the pitch tonight for East Bengal FC. The 30-year-old left Winger pressed like a bull all over the left flank, also going down deep to help out the defence. Very strong on the ball and was probably one of the best players who displayed good intent for the red and gold brigade. Played his heart out for the team with an unmatched workload covering every blade of grass in the final third. He gave a good assist to new signing Youssef Ezzejari, as East Bengal opened the scoreline against Northeast United FC.
Substitutes
Edmund – 6/10
Added some good energy after coming on for Nandhakumar and looked eager to make an impact. Showed good intent with a few forward runs and tried to link up play in the final third. Kept himself involved and maintained composure under pressure, contributing positively to the team’s attacking rhythm despite limited time on the pitch.
PV Vishnu- 6/10
PV Vishnu came on for Bipin Singh as an substitute, from the left flank. His inclusion immediately showed some good energy, the pace from the left flank was good. But didn’t have enough time to make impact.
David Lalhlansanga – 4/10
Came very late as the substitute for Youssef Ezzejari, looked decent enough but couldn’t make an impact over anything. The time was very limited, however his positioning looked very promising.
Martand Raina – 5/10
Handeld the defensive work fairly well. Came on and had a decent enough but shaky spell in the pitch.
Souvik Chakraborty – 5/10
Souvik Chakraborty Didn’t’t showed up that much off anticipation that needed in the match over the time. Took time to settle into the tempo and looked slightly unsure in possession at times. He managed to get some minutes in the game.
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Ayushman Sharma is a sports enthusiast with a deep love for football, following the game closely since 2018. A hardcore supporter of NorthEast United FC and FC Barcelona, he has also gained valuable on-ground experience by volunteering during FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Guwahati.