Ratings: Valiant SC East Bengal come short against Mumbai City FC

The Islanders returned to the top four with the win.

Mumbai City FC rejuvenated their hopes of qualifying for the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 playoffs with a 1-0 win against SC East Bengal at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Tuesday. East Bengal looked threatening as Thongkhosiem Haokip, Lalrinliana Hnamte, and Fran Sota all had efforts on goal denied by the heroics of Mohammed Nawaz. Mumbai City found their lead through Bipin Singh in the 51st minute as he picked up Brad Inman's ball and cut inside to finish with his weaker foot.

The two sides then continued to play out a close battle till the final whistle. However, the full-time whistle made the Islanders heave a sigh of relief as they were able to walk away with all three points and a clean sheet. The win takes Mumbai City to fourth with 28 points from 17 games, one more than Kerala Blasters who are in action tomorrow, while SC East Bengal remain pinned to the bottom.

On that note, let us take a look at Khel Now's evaluation of the player's performances for the night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMrNs3w38o0

Mumbai City FC (By Riddhiman Sarkar)

Mohammed Nawaz - 7.5

The young goalkeeper showed catlike reflexes as he kept out Hnamte on one occasion and made a few more outstanding claims. Made up for his shortcomings in punching the ball out from a corner situation by making a splendid point-blank save from Sota’s overhead volley. Nawaz made five saves in total as he kept Mumbai City’s top-four hopes alive with another clean sheet.

Rahul Bheke - 7

Another strong shift at right-back from the veteran as he delivered two out of his five attempted crosses successfully and made two interceptions.

Mourtada Fall - 7

Towering presence from the Islanders’ captain as he won nine out of his 11 aerial duels. Seemed to be at fault for a controversial handball call from SC East Bengal players, but it was eventually ruled out by the referee.

Mehtab Singh - 7

Another good display from the breakthrough Indian centre-back as he vigilantly monitored the likes of Haokip and Fran Sota. Made two clearances, one interception, and one tackle, complementing Fall well at the heart of the Islanders' defence.

Vignesh Dakshinamurthy- 7

Won four out of seven ground duels and three out of five aerial duels, helping Mumbai City preserve their clean sheet.

Lalengmawia - 7

Regulated play from the middle of the park very efficiently, leading attacks and marshalling the defensive ranks well. Won five out of his six ground duels and completed 87% of his passes.

Bradden Inman - 6.5

Played in a bit more advanced number eight role rather than the traditional number six, as he's normally deployed by Des Buckingham. Assisted Bipin’s goal and was substituted for for Vinit Rai in the 74th minute. Ended the game with a solid 93% pass completion rate.

Bipin Singh - 7.5

Masterful bottom-corner strike with his left foot to give the Islanders the lead after cutting inside majestically. Finished the game with a goal and a 79% pass completion rate.

Cassinho - 6

Great ball control from the Brazilian attacking midfielder once again as he turned in and out of spaces expertly. His performance was only marred by his ambitious finishing. He completed two out of his three take-ons. 

Lallianzuala Chhangte - 6.5

A very busy night for the skilled winger as he got 50 touches on the ball, but could not complete either of his two take-ons. Subbed off for Vikram Pratap Singh in the 90th minute. 

Igor Angulo - 6

Not his night as he skewed a brilliant chance wide from inside the six-yard box. The Spaniard went off for Diego Mauricio in the 65th minute with only 13 touches on the ball.

Substitutes 

Vinit Rai - 6

Could not win any of his three ground duels but marked his space well and made himself available as a passing option quite frequently.

Diego Mauricio - 6.5

Powered through the ranks of SC East Bengal players at one instance to display his physical prowess and dribbling skills. Had one shot blocked and got 13 touches on the ball in total.

Raynier Fernandes - N/A

Too little time to make an impact as he only got on the ball once.

Vikram Pratap Singh - N/A

Completed one pass after coming on and did not have much to do.

SC East Bengal (By Rajdeep Saha)

Shankar Roy - 6

The goalie didn’t have much to do throughout the game except for some routine saves and collections. Bipin Singh’s shot was too precise for him to do anything.

Raju Gaikwad - 6

The highlight of Raju Gaikwad’s evening was an audacious attempt at an overhead kick, which almost saw the Red and Gold equalise. He lost the ball about 18 times and had a passing accuracy of 64%.

Joyner Lourenco - 6

The defender blocked two shots and made one clearance during the game. Overall, it was an underwhelming outing for Lourenco.

Franjo Prce - 7

The Croatian had a solid outing. He had seven clearances and three interceptions. The centre-back also came close to helping his team in the attack a couple of times.

Bikash Jairu - 6.5

Jairu filled in for suspension-stricken Hira Mondal and fared well. Tonight’s left-back had an impressive pass percentage of 80% and completed both his ground duels.

Naorem Singh - 7

The winger had a lively 60 minutes under his belt and even came close to giving SCEB the lead. He had two shots on target and played one key pass. Defensively, too, he was solid with four tackles.

Sourav Das - 6

Das had two long balls on target and delivered an overall 78% passing accuracy. The midfielder also added two interceptions and two tackles to his name.

Mohammed Rafique - 6.5

The skipper was high on energy and kept the pressure on MCFC, but was culpable at times of a mispass or giving away the ball too easily. He had two shots off target which summed up his decision-making on the night. Rafique, however, had three interceptions under his belt.

Lalrinliana Hnamte - 7

A spirited performance from the youngster. Hnamte delivered an 81% passing accuracy and completed two of his three long balls. He also completed all his dribbling attempts and made three interceptions.

Thongkhosem Haokip - 6

The forward had a lively first half and was quite fluid in his movement up front, but couldn’t make much of the chances provided to him.

Fran Sota - 7

This was perhaps the Spaniard’s best performance in a Red and Gold shirt till date. He made three key passes and also had a shot on target.

Substitutes:

Darren Sidoel - 6.5

In the 30 minutes, he completed both his dribble attempts and made two tackles. The Dutch player also had success in five of his six ground duels.

Jackichand Singh - 5.5

The experienced winger couldn’t make his presence felt and only completed one long ball.

Wahengbam Angousana - N/A

The midfielder played for the final 15 minutes or so and didn’t have much to do.

Songpu Singsit - N/A

The player barely played for the final few minutes and hence didn’t make much difference.

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