Ratings: SC East Bengal, Chennaiyin FC show defensive solidity in draw

Despite being strong at the back, both teams failed to convert their chances.

SC East Bengal extended their winless run in the Indian Super League (ISL) as they shared the spoils with Chennaiyin FC on Friday night in Goa. The game also turned out to be only the second match this season, which ended in a goalless draw. Chennaiyin FC took the game to their opponents, but SC East Bengal presented a tough fight. It was a tale of pure end-to-end action with a few mistakes and many squandered opportunities.

The Marina Machans came close to finding the back of the nets on multiple occasions, but SC East Bengal goalkeeper Suvam Sen's heroics between the sticks and the backline's resilience kept the parity intact. The Red & Gold Brigade also had their fair amount of chances to take the lead. However, neither side could break the opposition's defence and settled for a draw.

Let's find out how both sets of players performed on Friday night.

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Chennaiyin FC (By Yash Pratap Singh)

Vishal Kaith (GK) - 6.5

Came off his line to neutralise the danger on many occasions with punches and saves. He looked high on confidence in comparison to the previous games.

Reagan Singh - 7.5

He put in good crosses and provided support to his right-winger every time Chennaiyin FC moved forward. Reagan was also very sound in defence as he made five clearances, one block and interception each.

Slavko Damjanovic - 7.5

Slavko stood tall and strong like a wall and did not allow anything to pass behind him. He put in multiple last-ditch tackles and also made important clearances.

Narayan Das - 7.0

The experienced campaigner complemented Slavko Damjanovic well at the heart of the defence. He maintained an amazing passing accuracy of over 90% and also won all of his ground and ariel duels. Moreover, he also made four clearances.

Jerry Lalrinzuala - 6.5

The left-back kept the SC East Bengal attackers at bay and maintained a passing accuracy of 79%. He put in crosses and also took a shot.

Ariel Borysiuk - 6.5

The Hungarian registered a passing accuracy of 92% while making two successful tackles and an interception. He kept the midfield in shape for Chennaiyin FC.

Anirudh Thapa - 7.0

The skipper looked lively with his creativity in the middle of the park. He created two goalscoring chances, put in tackles and completed majority of his long balls. Thapa also attempted a few crosses and won corners for his side.

Lallianzuala Chhangte - 7.0

Created a chance and was a livewire on the left flank with six crosses and three blocked shots. Chhangte dropped deep to help his defence with tackles, interceptions and clearances. However, he missed a few goalscoring opportunities.

Vladimir Koman - 7.0

Had a busy outing against the Kolkata-based side. He was almost everywhere and made important attacking contributions with good long balls and key passes. Koman created three chances, attempted six shots and won majority of his duels.

Mirlan Murzaev - 6.0

Created five chances, but could keep only one of his three attempted shots on target. He also made defensive contributions with a few tackles and clearances. Murzaev was wayward with his passes and ended with a 68% pass accuracy.

Rahim Ali - 6.5

The youngster gave a better account of himself in comparison to the last two matches. He took four shots, created two chances and attempted three crosses. He also came back to help the defence with crucial tackles and interceptions. 

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Substitutes

Lukasz Gikieicz - 5.5

The Polish striker replaced Mirlan Murzaev and added 34 valuable minutes under his belt. He won 50% of his aerial duels and also maintained a good passing precision.

Jobby Justin - 5.0

He came on for Rahim Ali to make his debut for Chennaiyin FC. Justin made important defensive contributions alongside a few cameos in the attacking third.

https://youtu.be/feWG2keMTww

SC East Bengal (By Sattyik Sarkar)

Suvam Sen (GK) – 7.0

Made some fantastic saves in the first half. Looked a bit shaky in the second. But his effort was praiseworthy.

Daniel Gomes – 4.5

The debutant hardly made any mark on the game. Made some wrong passes while attacking. Wasn’t able to perform defensively either. Taken off at half-time.

Tomislav Mrcela – 7.0

The skipper led the defence in style. Made four crucial blocks and registered the most clearances (9) in the game. He also was the target during SC East Bengal's set-pieces.

Joyner Lourenco – 5.0

Not his day at the office. Was shaky at the back and did not offer much. Called off at the break.

Hira Mondal – 7.5

The best defender of the evening. Combined brilliantly with Naorem Mahesh on the left and kept Lallianzuala Chhangte at bay. Mondal even went forward and made a cross which unfortunately Antonio Perosevic headed wide. Made some vital tackles and clearances. Was adjudged the Man of the Match.

Amarjit Singh Kiyam – 6.0

Wasn’t played in his usual central midfield (defensive) position. Amarjit moved to the right in a four-man midfield and had little effect on the game. Was wayward with his passes, but made two crucial ball recoveries.

Amir Dervisevic – 7.0

Created three goalscoring chances in a game dominated by Chennaiyin FC. He was also equally efficient defensively and put in three clearances and won all of his duels barring one.

Mohammed Rafique – 6.5

Orchestrated the midfield along with Amir Dervisevic. Could have even scored a goal from a pass by Bikash Jairu, but failed. He is surely elevating his performance by every game.

Naorem Mahesh Singh – 6.0

Played on both flanks. Worked hard along with Hira Mondal to stop the likes of Lallianzuala Chhangte. While on the right flank, made some good tackles.

Darren Sidoel – 6.0

Wasn’t up to the mark on Friday night. Played behind the forward, Daniel Chima Chukwu, which is not his actual position. Was subbed off in the second half.

Daniel Chima Chukwu – 7.5

The Nigerian striker is improving and gaining confidence every day. The SC East Bengal star Displayed some lovely skills and won four of his five take-ons against Chennaiyin FC. Had a chance to score from a through ball by Antonio Perosevic but couldn’t capitalise. Came down and defended exceptionally during set-pieces.

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Substitutes

Adil Khan – 6.0

Didn’t have a good start to the game. But slowly started getting into the groove. Attempted three unsuccessful tackles and had a 57% pass accuracy.

Raju Gaikwad – 5.0

Had just one major contribution to the game as he prevented Lukasz Gikiewicz's shot from going past him after goalkeeper Suvam Sen spilled the ball in the 12-yard area. Attempted a header from an Amir Dervisevic set-piece but the header missed its target narrowly.

Antonio Perosevic – 7.0

Was really impressive after coming on. Played a brilliant through ball to Daniel Chima Chukwu, but the latter failed to score. Tried a volley in the dying minutes of the game but the ball went above the crossbar. He also completed three successful take-ons and won four duels.

Bikash Jairu – 5.0

Didn’t have much impact on the game after coming on. Just laid one ball for Mohammed Rafique in the penalty box, but Rafique smashed it into the defender’s feet.

Sourav Das – 5.0

Came on for the final 10 minutes and hardly had any contribution to the game.

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