Goalkeepers Karanjit Singh and Vishal Kaith shine in Chennai's narrow win over Pune

The southerners went top of the table thanks to a Gregory Nelson goal in the second half which gave them the win.

The Marina Machans are on song after coming out of this tough game with 3 points. In a game which looked like Pune were going to pick up maximum points, Chennaiyin FC come out as the winners in a hard fought battle. With this win, Chennaiyin FC move to the top of the table. Here’s how every Indian player fared in today’s match, Chennaiyin FC

Karanjit Singh - 7.0

The hero for Chennaiyin. Commanded the box really well and made sure that nothing went inside the Chennaiyin goal. He faced 3 shots and he did a fine job of saving all 3 shots.  Karanjit also had 2 catches, 3 clearances and 1 punch to show for. His quick reaction to Jerry’s miss-pass was quite crucial for the Marina Machans.

Jerry Lalrinzuala - 6.5

It was a hard fought battle for Jerry in which he barely scrapped through. Struggled all game against the threat of Ashique and would not have managed if his teammates didn’t help him out. He had a total of 40 passes but more importantly, he also amassed 2 tackles, 3 interceptions and 1 block.

Bikramjit Singh - 6.5

Bikramjit had a bit more freedom on the field today which allowed him to attack more. He had 1 shot but it missed the target only by a few inches. Defensively, he was solid for the Marina Machans. He had 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 interception and 1 block. In total, he had 21 passes at a completion rate of 76%. He also created a very good chance for Jeje in the opening minutes of the game. Taken off at 70’ for Anirudh Thapa.

Thoi Singh - 6.0

Deployed on the left wing today, Thoi was invisible for the first quarter of the match. He had a total of 37 passes with 57% of his passes reaching the intended target. He also measured up two crosses into the box but was met with nobody on the end of it. Thoi also had 3 tackles to show for but his overall game was quite lacklustre.

Dhanapal Ganesh - 6.0

Dhanapal Ganesh was treading on thin ice today. At the 28 minute mark he received his first yellow card. Dhanapal was pretty reckless throughout the first half and was lucky enough not to be sent off. He played with a bit more composure in the 2nd half of the match and it didn’t seem like it was Dhanapal’s day as he totalled just 1 tackle all game. He completed 31 passes all game and also totalled 2 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 clearance.

Jeje Lalpekhlua - 6.0

A very silent game for the Mizo sniper. Jeje struggled all game against the Pune centre-backs and did not cause any problems to them. He had 4 shots all game with only 1 hitting the target. He had a total of 23 passes with a poor 48% conversion rate.

Substitutes

Anirudh Thapa - 6.0

Came on for Bikramjit Singh at the 70 minute mark. It was a straight swap for Bikramjit’s position. Thapa had his instructions in mind and played a tidy game. He made 18 passes and defensively, he made a lot of contributions to the side. He had 1 tackle, 1 clearance and 2 blocks to show for in his 26 minute cameo.

Keenan Almeida - NA

Keenan was brought on in the last 9 minutes of the match to see the game off after Chennaiyin had somehow taken the lead. Did what was asked off him and ensured Chennaiyin go away with all 3 points in the bag.

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FC Pune City

Vishal Kaith - 7.0 

Vishal was a spectator for majority of the game  as Chennaiyin failed to cause problems and could not easily get past the Pune City defence. He faced 2 shots out of which only one was on goal which he failed to save. He had 2 catches and 2 clearances and most importantly, he saved Rene Mihelic’s penalty in the early moments of the game and was unlucky to see the game out with a clean sheet.

Vishal Kaith saved a crucial penalty to keep Pune City FC in the game

Gurtej Singh- 6.5

Did not catch the threat of Gregory Nelson soon enough which lead to the winning goal in today’s fixture. He was solid along with his partner Rafael until that very moment which resulted in the loss for FC Pune City. He had a total of 41 passes in this match. He also totalled 1 block and 1 clearance each.

Adil Khan - 6.5

Playing in the right back position, Adil Khan was tasked with the job of handling Gregory Nelson which he did to perfection until the Netherlands international scored the winner thanks to Raphael Augusto’s inch perfect passing. He created 1 chance for Pune’s attack and had 53 passes today which was converted at the rate of 64%. He had 6 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 interception and 2 blocks to show for which is very impressive for a defender.

Rohit Kumar - 6.5

Did not start the game very well as he looked quite shaky every time he was on the ball. As the clock ticked, Rohit settled into the match and held his ground well. He had 48 passes at the rate of 71% accuracy. He had 3 tackles and 3 clearances in the game and some of those tackles were quite crucial and helped Pune set up good counter-attacks.

Ashique Kuruniyan - 7.0

Taken off at 81’, Ashique caused all sorts of problems to the Chennaiyin backline. His blistering pace made it hard for the Chennaiyin centre-backs to constantly guard him. He mustered 2 shots with 1 hitting the target in the early minutes of the game. He had 28 passes with a poor 50% completion rate. He had 5 tackles and 3 interceptions to account for which made him one of the best all round players in the pitch. Sahil Panwar- 7.0

Put in a much matured performance at the back for Pune City. He had a very significant role in shutting down the Chennaiyin attack in the first half of the match. He raked up stats all over the board. He totalled 1 shot, 1 created chance, 1 cross, 1 tackle, 2 clearances, 1 interception and 2 blocks throughout the 90 minutes. He was another player unlucky to see the game out with a clean sheet. Substitutes:

Baljit Sahni - 5.0

Subbed in at 51 minute for Marcos Tebar who walked out with an injury. Slotted into the midfield, Baljit struggled to make his mark in the match as he ran up and down the field without any purpose. He had 17 passes and 1 block to show for. He was the worst player on the pitch for Pune City.

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Issac Vanmalsawma - 6.0

Featured in the last 15 minutes of the game. He did not have any impact in the match with his 11 passes and 1 block. He was on corner taking duty for Pune City but it was to no avail as his sole corner was cleared with ease.