Kerala Blasters vs East Bengal FC Player Ratings: Sachin and Aimen impress, Gill and Rakip disappoint | ISL 2024-25

The Tuskers sealed their first victory of the season in stupendous fashion.

Kerala Blasters FC defeated East Bengal FC in a 2-1 victory in their second home fixture in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The fans witnessed a last-minute- thriller as the Blasters emerge victors in the dying seconds of the game, bagging their first win of the season. PV Vishnu broke the deadlock for the Red and Gold Brigade in the second half but it was followed by an exceptional solo goal from Noah Sadaoui to even things out. Kwame Peprah scored a banger to beat Prabsukhan Gill in the 88th minute of the game to seal the game for the Tuskers.

Here are the Indian player ratings for the game:

Kerala Blasters FC (By Rohan Dutt)

Sachin Suresh – 8.0

The Kerala Blasters’ goalkeeper was tested at times and stood his ground between the sticks, even pulling off a triple save in the first half. His reactions were sound and his decision-making skills were on point throughout the night but he was let down by his defence for Vishnu PV’s goal.

Sandeep Singh – 7.0

Sandeep caused trouble for the opposition with his accurate crosses into the boxes. The wingback had a tough night in the flanks battling Naorem Mahesh Singh and was also caught out of possession in dangerous positions but recovered well. On the flipside, Sandeep was certainly a wall in defence, winning duels inside his own box.

Huidrom Naocha Singh – 7.5

Naocha was often an extra man forward, making inverted runs into the box supporting Sadaoui. Although at times he left open spaces behind him, allowing the opposition to break through the flanks, he made amends by tracking back. He was handy in set pieces and kept the shape well, out of possession. His positional sense was exceptional against a strong opposition attack and he also bagged himself an assist going forward.

Pritam Kotal – 7.0

Pritam Kotal had a decent game at the back partnering Milos Drincic. Apart from the minor lapse of concentration during Vishnu PV’s goals, he was solid at the back.

Vibin Mohanan – 6.5

Starting for the first time this season, Vibin Mohanan had a decent game once again with his long balls, swapping the wing to find players in spaces. The midfielder was composed and press-resistant in the middle, forcing his opponents to bring him down. However, like Danish Farooq, he gave away possession unnecessarily at times and was subbed off in the second half.

Rahul KP – 5.0

Rahul KP had supply from the middle but his pacey runs bore no fruit as his crosses into the box were not accurate enough to find his teammates. The winger squandered an opportunity in front of goal, when Sandeep Singh found him with a pin-point cross and was the weakest link in the Blaster’s attack.

Danish Farooq – 6.0

Danish Farooq had a tough role, having to fill Luna’s shoes in the creator role. The midfielder produced many chances playing behind Jesus Jimenez, often finding the forward with key passes into the box.

He had great intent through out the game trying to split the defence with his lobbed through balls, sometimes succesful and other times giving away posession. Apart from a key pass that opened up a chance for Jesus Jimenez in the first half, the midfielder did not threaten the opposition much.

Substitutes:

Mohammed Aimen – 8.0

Aimen came on to replace Danish Farooq and made himself available in spaces creating opportunities. The winger shot a right-foot curler almost scoring to take the lead. Aimen assisted Peprah for the winner and made it an ecstatic night in Kochi for his team and himself.

Mohammed Azhar – 6.0

Azhar came in for Vibin Mohanan and had a decent cameo.

Aiban Dohling – 7.0

Aiban had an excellent impact late in the game, not letting the opposition advance through his wing, with his sliding tackles executed to perfection.

East Bengal FC (by Uttiyo Sarkar)

Prabhsukhan Gill – 4.5

Gill was embarrassingly nutmegged by Sadaoui for the opener and caught stranded for the second.

Mohammed Rakip – 5.0

Rakip was tormented by Sadaoui all game long and tried his best to stay strong. Made two tackles and three clearances, but was turned inside out for the equaliser and looked ruffled towards the end.

Anwar Ali – 5.5

Anwar Ali made his long-awaited debut for East Bengal and was energetic in the first half, moving the ball forward nicely but being a bit too overzealous with his runs. Kept Jimenez quiet by making three interceptions and three clearances, but it was his poor pass that kicked off things for Kerala’s second goal.

Mark Zothanpuia – 7.5

Zothanpuia had a solid outing in his ISL debut for East Bengal. An energetic figure going forward, creating a big scoring chance for Nandha in the first half. Kept Rahul KP quiet with his diligent defending, making two tackles, three interceptions and winning five duels.

Jeakson Singh – 5.5

Jeakson couldn’t dominate the midfield battle against his former side. Moved the ball around well, but struggled to stop Kerala Blasters’ transitions, being unable to make any tackle.

Naorem Mahesh Singh – 5.0

Mahesh helped out defensively (six duels won) but lacked a spark in attack. Unable to create anything special and saw PV Vishnu score three minutes after replacing him.

Nandhakumar Sekar – 7.0

Nandhakumar worked his socks off and made clever movements, almost coming close to scoring in the first half. Helped kick off the move for Vishnu’s goal with impressive pressing and worked hard defensively with four recoveries.

Substitutes

PV Vishnu – 7.0

Made an instant impact with a smart finish for the opener but mellowed down soon after that.

Souvik Chakrabarti – 5.5

Couldn’t really help add that much steel in midfield as East Bengal conceded soon after he came on.

Aman CK – N/A

Didn’t really get that much of the ball to cause trouble.

Gursimrat Gil – N/A

Saw his team concede after coming on and didn’t really get enough time to impact the game.

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