Bengaluru Vs NorthEast United Ratings: Ashique lone ranger in dull stalemate

A disappointing way to start off the campaign for both teams as they looked toothless in the final third and missed several chances.

The second game of the ISL 2019-20 season, Bengaluru Vs NorthEast United, ended on a rather unexpected note with a draw on Monday night. The Blues, despite having the majority of the possession, could not take their chances against the Highlanders on their own turf. On the other hand, NorthEast United, despite boasting the most high-profile striker, Asamoah Gyan, could not score a goal and the Ghanaian was later subbed off by Robert Jarni.

While the Bengaluru Vs NorthEast United match did not see any goals, sheer tactical brilliance made several Indian players shine in the game. Here's how the domestic players performed at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Monday evening.

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Bengaluru FC

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 6.5

A few defensive errors kept Sandhu busy in the first half of Bengaluru FC Vs NorthEast United, but he didn’t have much to do in the rest of the game. The Indian shot-stopper excelled with his distribution over the course of the 90 minutes.

Nishu Kumar – 7.0

Nishu excelled in his new role on the right flank, being a constant attacker as well as being solid in defence. He came close to scoring with a brilliant strike from outside the box, only to be denied by the keeper.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J_4P_-8FZE[/embed]

Watch: Bengaluru Vs NorthEast United highlights

Rahul Bheke – 6.0

Not the best of days for the Indian defender, who was seen operating as centre-back. Few of his risky passes almost saw BFC conceding and he was not very solid in defence.

Harmanjot Singh Khabra – 6.5

The defensive midfielder was all over the pitch marking and intercepting throughout. He played his role to perfection and was later brought off in the second half.

Ashique Kuruniyan - 7.0

Arguably, the best performer on the night. Ashique was a menace for the NorthEast defence, as he was setting the wings on fire with solo runs from the back, overlapping Chhetri many a times. He came close to scoring on more than one occasion, but couldn’t quite hit the target.

Sunil Chhetri –  6.0

Not the best of days for Sunil Chhetri, as he hardly had anything to offer. He missed out on several chances, which hould’ve been converted for a player of his quality.

Udanta Singh – 6.0

His pace and movement off the ball was the only saving grace, as he managed an average display missing out plenty of chances and misfiring his crosses

Substitutions

Kean Lewis –  N/A

Came on in the 90th minute. Didn’t have the time to make an impact and didn’t have much of the ball.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh – N/A

Came on in the 81st minute. Only managed a few passes and failed to prove much of a threat.

NorthEast United FC

Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (GK) –  6.5

A solid performance from the keeper, as he was constantly put to the test from all sides and also faced frequent shots from outside the box.

Reagan Singh –  6.0

A below-par performance, as he was easily outrun and outplayed by the wingers and couldn’t manage to keep them at bay.

Nikhil Kadam – 6.0

Was all over the midfield, but didn’t make much of an impact, as he was often isolated by what was some great midfield play from Bengaluru FC.

Redeem Tlang – 6.5

The best player for NorthEast United. He often setup counter-attacks and was also seen carrying the ball from one box to the other with a few brilliant solo runs.

Lalthathanga Khawlhring – 5.5

Much like the rest of NorthEast’s midfield, Khaawlhring didn’t make much of a difference and was easily run over by the wingers on more than one occasion.

Rakesh Pradhan – 5.5

Had to deal with the BFC wingers and definitely didn’t do it well. His positioning allowed the opposition to capitalize many a times, although it didn’t lead to a goal

Substitutions

Milan Singh – N/A

Brought on to add more of a threat to the midfield, he couldn’t do much as his team hardly had any possession towards the end of the game.

Ninthoinganba Meetei – N/A

Came on in the 82nd minute to add more creativity to the midfield, however, couldn’t prove much towards the end.