Punjab FC vs Mumbai City FC Player Ratings: Lazar Cirkovic & Nikhil Prabhu impress in ISL 2026-27 clash
Gurkirat’s equaliser in dying minutes against the Islanders take the Shers to third spot in ISL points table
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi hosted the final game of matchweek two in the Indian Super League as Punjab FC locked horns with Mumbai City FC in what was a thrilling contest between the two sides.
Both sides kept pushing for that first goal, but after a goalless first half, it took the referee’s intervention to break the deadlock. Mumbai City FC’s Noufal was fouled inside the box by Bijoy Varghese and the referee pointed towards the spot.
Leandro Otormin, the Uruguayan striker, who previously plied his trade with Nacional scored the penalty and gave Mumbai a slender 0-1 lead. The Islanders were inching closer to their first win but Pavlos Dermitzakis had other plans.
His substitutions did pay off as Gurkirat headed the cross from Sanathoi Singh to level the score 1-1 in the dying minutes of the game.
The game ended in a stalemate, and after matchweek 2, Mumbai City FC remain winless, and Punjab FC are yet to lose a game and move to the third spot.
Punjab FC Ratings (by Saikat Sengupta)
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Arshdeep Singh – 7/10
Arshdeep guessed the direction right against Otormin in the penalty, but the Uruguayan striker’s shot was powerful as Mumbai took the lead.
Overall, he had a good game tonight. He made three big saves tonight and the Shers did not concede a single goal from open play.
K Lhungdim – 7.5/10
Lhungdim was just brilliant. By taking a look at his heatmap, we find out how he dominated the left flank.
He did a good job of keeping Indian international Vikram Partap quiet, and he work rate was impressive.
Bijoy Varghese – 6.5/10
Bijoy’s foul inside the penalty box saw Noufal fall and Mumbai City FC get a penalty.
Despite that, he completed the joint-most passes tonight and made four clearances and two blocks.
Nikhil Prabhu – 8/10
A perfect captain’s performance from Prabhu, who had the most touches tonight in the game.
He was a beast defensively and made three tackles and two clearances. Mumbai’s attack, led by Otormin and Brandon, found it very difficult to get past Prabhu tonight.
Md Uvais – 7.5/10
Uvais had a decent outing tonight. He played a crucial role in the build-up to the equaliser. It was never easy to match the pace of Noufal from the flanks and make accelerated runs upfront but Uvais, who gave an assist in the last game, did that brilliantly.
Ricky Shabong – 7/10
A decent outing from the Indian international, who was like a defensive anchor in the midfield for the Shers.
He intercepted those transition runs and attacks made by the Islanders.
LR Meitei – 5.5/10
A poor outing for the teenager, who was subbed off in just 36 minutes after a tough game tonight.
Muhammad Suhail – 6.5/10
Suhail played 77 minutes tonight and couldn’t make much impact tonight. Mumbai’s Akash Mishra simply outplayed him, and he was arguably the best player in the game tonight.
Diego Raposo – 7/10
The Brazilian had a decent shift tonight and had one of the highest expected assists tonight. His passing accuracy was also quite high, and he made six passes into the final third and created too many chances tonight.
Vishal Yadav – 6/10
After a brilliant performance in the last game as a substitute, Vishal was called into the playing eleven.
He could not make the most of this opportunity and was subbed off before the hour mark.
Messi Bouli – 6.5/10
Bouli, who scored twice in the last game against Odisha FC, took the most shots tonight against the Islanders.
Despite that, his shot-on-target accuracy was just 25%, and two of his shots were completely off target.
Substitutes
Gurkirat Singh – 7.5/10
Gurkirat scored a brilliant header after an impressive cross from Sanathoi. He scored at a crucial time as the Shers snatched away a point in the dying minutes of the game.
Sanathoi Singh – 7.5/10
He just played 13 minutes but stole the show with his cross that saw Gurkirat heading it into the goal. He had the highest xA in the game tonight of 0.38. The teenager had an outstanding performance from the flanks.
Bishu Sharma – 6.5/10
Pavlos Dermitzakis subbed on Bishu in just 36 minutes. After giving a late assist to Messi Bouli in the last game, there were too many hopes on Bishu, who had an average outing tonight.
Arshvir Singh – 6.5/10
The teenager made his ISL debut tonight. He came onto the pitch as a substitute in the 77th minute, replacing Diego Raposo and had a decent game.
Mumbai City FC Ratings (by Aryan)
TP Rehnesh: 6/10
A decent performance from the custodian, who made a few good saves throughout the game. He could do little to prevent Gurkirat’s headed goal.
A good outing overall, and he should continue to improve as the games progress.
Akash Mishra: 5/10
Another average outing from Akash, who struggled with his passing and distribution and was completely dominated by Lhungdim.
His poor positioning and lack of precision on the ball made for a frustrating performance, marking his second disappointing game in a row.
It has been a difficult start to his tenure as Mumbai City FC captain, and he will need to improve significantly in the coming games.
Lazar Ćirković: 8/10
Lazar was a wall in defence for Mumbai City FC, making timely blocks and crucial interventions to neutralise Messi Bouli and shut down the opposition’s attacking runs in the final third.
He was equally impressive with his composure on the ball and distribution from the back.
Carlos Delgado: 8/10
Delgado was equally impressive alongside Lazar, making crucial blocks and keeping the opposition attackers at bay.
His composure on the ball and ability to distribute it effectively have also helped Mumbai play out from the back, capping off a strong defensive performance.
Valpuia: 5/10
Valpuia had a relatively quiet outing and should have done better to close down the cross that eventually led to Mumbai conceding the goal.
He offered little else of note throughout the game and will need to step up, especially considering his experience and status as the longest-serving player at the club.
Puipuia: 6/10
Puipuia put in a decent shift in midfield, attempting a few shots from outside the box and helping Mumbai progress the ball.
He looked like an improvement over Tluanga in the middle of the park and combined well with Llamas, forming a promising partnership in midfield.
Sergio Llamas: 8/10
Llamas has delivered another solid performance in midfield, dictating the play with his composure and ability to move the ball forward.
He also took over set-piece duties after Brandon Fernandes went off. Having impressed in the previous game against Churchill Brothers as well, the Spaniard is already looking like a solid signing for Mumbai City FC.
Noufal PN: 7.5/10
Noufal looked dangerous with his runs and produced a brilliant move to win Mumbai City the penalty. He seemed less effective on the right, but immediately made an impact after moving to the left, winning the penalty with his very first move from that flank.
Mumbai should look to play him in his natural position on the left, where he can be more influential. While his runs were excellent, his first touch remains an area for improvement.
Brandon Fernandes: 5/10
Brandon put in a decent shift in the number 10 role, although his performance was let down by some sloppy passing.
He was substituted in the 66th minute, but it was encouraging to see him deployed in his natural attacking midfield position, where he can have a greater influence on Mumbai City’s play.
Vikram Partap Singh: 6/10
Vikram had little opportunity to make an impact before being forced off in the 21st minute following a horrible tackle on his shin by Rishi Kanta Meitei.
The winger had not seen much of the ball until then, and his evening came to an unfortunate early end due to the injury. FarukhChoudhary replaced him.
Leandro OtormĂn: 6.5/10
OtormĂn had an inconsistent outing, with sloppy passing and limited creativity in open play.
However, he made an important contribution by winning and converting the penalty to score his first goal on Indian soil before being substituted in the 66th minute.
Substitutes
Farukh Choudhary: 5/10
Farukh came on for the injured Vikram Partap Singh in the 21st minute but struggled to make a significant impact. He did manage a sweet strike from outside the box, but lacked cohesion with Akash Mishra down the left flank.
He will need to do much better to make a stronger impact off the bench.
Wilmar Jordán Gil: 5/10
Wilmar had a quiet outing after coming on, struggling to help Mumbai progress the ball forward.
His inability to move the ball up the pitch contributed to Mumbai conceding the goal. He also went off injured in the final minute, forcing Mumbai to play the closing moments with 10 men. His injury will be a concern for the Islanders ahead of their next game.
Muhammed Ajsal: 5/10
Came late in the game and did not have much of an impact.
Came late in the game and did not have much of an impact.
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