Odisha FC vs NorthEast United FC Player Ratings: Hrithik Tiwari shines, Eze disappoint in ISL 2026-27 clash
Odisha FC and NorthEast United FC played the first goalless draw of the season.
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar hosted the third match week fixture in the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season. Odisha FC locked horns with NorthEast United FC in what was the first goalless draw of the new season.
NorthEast United would be frustrated after settling for a goalless draw against the Juggernauts. Juan Pedro Benali’s men created a lot of chances tonight. Even a penalty in the dying minutes of the game couldn’t help them to score as they take home only one point from Bhubaneshwar.
The home team, on the other hand are very lucky to walk away with something from this game. There was a stark contrast in the expected goals between the two teams. Odisha had an xG of 0.13 whereas NorthEast United, who took more than double the shots than their opponents had an xG of 1.73 tonight.
Odisha conceded a late penalty after Stephen Eze’s handball but the bar denied the Alaeddine Ajaraie, as the referee blew his final whistle in Odisha.
A point was however enough to propel NorthEast United FC to the top of the table with seven points. This was Odisha’s second draw of the season, and they now move to the eighth spot with two points in three games.
Odisha FC Player Ratings (by Saikat Sengupta)
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Hrithik Tiwari – 9.5/10
The goalkeeper from NorthEast denied NorthEast United even a single goal tonight and kept a clean sheet. He made six saves tonight and even made a penalty save in the dying seconds of the game to deny Ajaraie. He was the best player tonight in the match.
Vanlalzuidika Chhakchhuak – 7.5/10
Purushothaman deployed a 5-3-2 formation tonight and Chhakchhuak was playing in the right wing back position. He did well tonight and dominated the right flank entirely and kept Jithin MS and Antonio Moyano quiet in the wings.
Thoiba Singh – 6.5/10
Thoiba had a decent outing tonight. It was never easy to face a deadly NorthEast attack led by Ajaraie, Jithin MS and Nickson but Thoiba made three crucial defensive contributions to keep a clean sheet.
Stephen Eze – 6/10
Eze’s hand ball in the penalty box saw Odisha conceding a late penalty in the game. He breathed a sigh of relief after the Moroccan striker missed the penalty. Apart from that, he was solid defensively making eight clearances tonight.
Saurabh Bhanwala – 6.5/10
Bhanwala had a decent outing tonight. He had 36 touches and made a few crucial defensive contributions. After being completely left out in the first two games, he made his first start of the season and helped Odisha kept a clean sheet.
Jeremy Zohminghlua – 7/10
Jeremy played just 64 minutes tonight before Nandha Kumar Sekar was subbed on. But in a span of an hour, he impressed a lot from the wings. He was up against Ajaraie in the flanks and he ensured that the Moroccan striker do not get much from the game.
Giorgi Aburjania – 7/10
The Georgian midfielder was brilliant tonight. He anchored the midfield well and played 77 minutes before Manu Molina replaced him.
Puitea – 6.5/10
Puitea was wearing the captain’s armband tonight and he had could have done better in the centre of the park to create chances and make forward passes for Eid and Everton.
Lalrinfela Khiangte – 7.5/10
Khiangte had another impressive game tonight. He made four passes into the final third and was a menace in the midfield and the flanks tonight alongside Jeremy.
Mahmoud Eid – 6/10
A disappointing game from the Palestinian striker as Odisha just had two shots on target in the entire game. His combined xG and xA of 0.03 was very poor and he must get back his form before it’s too late.
Everton Nascimento – 7/10
A decent spell from the Brazilian striker who tested Gurmeet twice and had two shots on target tonight. He impressed on a few occasion and created crucial chances.
Substitutes
Nandha Kumar Sekar – 5.5/10
A pretty poor performance from Sekar who was brought to offer attacking prowess in the left wing. But he failed massively to create chances and Odisha hardly had shots on target or chances upfront.
Manu Molina – 6/10
A veteran Spanish midfielder like Molina, who had spells in Espanyol and Valencia was brought to make an impact tonight. But he was beaten on a lot of occasions and NorthEast dominated the game in the last quarter.
Rahim Ali – 5.5/10
A senior Indian international like Ali underperformed. He had literally not a single touch in the opposition box and neither created much chances upfront for Odisha’s forwards.
Imran Khan – 6/10
The Indian came in way too late to make any difference to the game.
NorthEast United FC Player Ratings (By Yash)
Gurmeet Singh – 7/10
Gurmeet recorded a good performance against Odisha FC. He managed to earn his second clean sheet of the season and made two crucial saves in the process. Singh completed 82% of his passes.
Nikhil Barla – 8/10
Nikhil Barla was the best player for NorthEast United on the pitch. He contained all the offensive danger that came his way and made 10 defensive contributions, including eight clearances, 11 ball recoveries and two tackles. He also executed 53/58 passes to perfection.
Eneko Satrustegui – 7/10
The Spanish defender made three clearances, two interceptions and recoveries each while maintaining a passing accuracy of 86%.
Pramveer Singh – 7.5/10
Pramveer Singh was at the top of his game with his ball distribution and recorded a 90% success rate. He also made six defensive contributions, including four clearances, six ball recoveries and one block.
Abdul Rabeeh – 7.5/10
Rabeeh made bombing runs forward and created one big chance while executing three key passes, the most by any player. He completed 90% of his passes and recorded three recoveries and two clearances.
Mayakkannan – 7/10
Mayakkannan was really good with his ball distribution and maintained an accuracy of over 90% and executed one key pass. He won the ball at crucial junctures of the game and made two interceptions.
Antonio Moyano – 7/10
Antonio Moyano needs to work on his finishing as he missed two shots from inside the box. Moyano could’ve finished the game for NorthEast United, but he couldn’t keep his shot on target.
Nikola Ninkovic – 7.5/10
Nikola Ninkovic was one of the standout performers for the visitors. He played the creative role to perfection and executed two key passes while creating one big chance. Ninkovic even tried his luck on goal with two shots on target.
Jithin MS – 7/10
Jithin MS did not have a very memorable outing today. He used his pace to trouble the defenders, but couldn’t produce anything significant. However, three defensive contributions and won six ground duels.
Macarton Nickson – 7/10
He had a decent outing in the middle of the park. Macaron completed around 74% of his passes and he won 8/13 ground duels in the middle. Macarton also made five defensive recoveries.
Alaeddine Ajaraie – 7/10
Ajaraie had a disappointing outing as per his standards. The skipper created two big chances and missed both of them before missing a last minute spot kick. NorthEast United FC dropped two points because of his penalty miss.
Substitutes
Redeem Tlang – 6.5/10
Redeem came on very late, but he did execute a line breaking pass to Moyano immediately after coming on.
Ethyan Gonzalez – 6/10
Ethyan came on very late and was unable to make any impact in the game.
Parthib Gogoi – 6/10
Parthib was subbed on in the 75th minute and didn’t make any noticeable impact in the game.
What happened in the ISL fixture between Odisha FC and NorthEast United FC?
The ISL fixture between Odisha FC & NorthEast United FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, ended in a goalless draw.
Who scored the goals for Odisha FC and NorthEast United FC?
There were no goalscorers as we had the first goalless draw of the season.
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