Ratings: Sahal Samad stars as Kerala Blasters edge Jamshedpur FC

This was the Yellow Men's only second win over the Men of Steel.

Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters locked horns for an anticipated first leg of the Indian Super League semi-finals. But, the game turned out to be a quiet one, with Sahal’s beautifully chipped goal being the difference between the sides. The Men of Steel lacked the hunger and desire we have seen in them and will have a tough task going into the second leg.

Here are the ratings of the players from the game.

Jamshedpur FC (By JN Balraj)

Rehenesh TP (GK) - 6.5

The custodian looked shaky in some moments and eventually conceded against Sahal. Overall, he made three saves and made sure the team didn't concede more.

PC Dinpuia - 6.0

The youngster had to fill in the shoes of the consistent Dinliana and failed to deliver on expectations. He looked clueless in attack. Defensively, Dinpuia made three interceptions and two clearances.

Eli Sabia - 7.0

The towering defender was solid at the back. He made four clearances and blocked a shot. Eli also made two interceptions and a tackle. He won five duels for his side as well.

Peter Hartley - 6.5

The captain held his defence tight and was seen in attacking positions too, seeing the lacklustre display from the offensive players. Hartley won five aerial duels and made three clearances on the night.

Ricky Lallawmawma - 6

The full-back was vulnerable in the defence quite often. He should have cleared the ball well in Sahal’s goal. Statistically, he made four interceptions and two tackles.

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Pronay Halder - 6.5

Pronay played 32 passes with 80% accuracy in the game. He created one chance and played five direct balls and made two interceptions too.

Jitendra Singh - 6.5

The youngster was impressive against Adrian Luna on occasions. Jitendra had 29 touches and a passing accuracy of 61%. He made a clearance and two tackles.

Seiminlen Doungel - 7.5

The former Goa winger looked at his best and was active in the team's attack before an unlucky forced substitution. He created a big chance for Daniel Chima and played a key pass. He also won all seven of his duels.

Greg Stewart - 6.5

The Scot had only one touch in Kerala Blasters' box and had a dull outing against the Blasters. Stewart created two chances and delivered three successful crosses. Unlike previous games, he did not complete any dribble and made one tackle.

Ritwik Das - 6.5

The winger had a quiet outing on both the flanks in either half. He completed a dribble and played a key pass. But, Ritwik failed to deliver a accurate cross from the wings.

Daniel Chima - 6.0

The Nigerian was awful with his finishing on the night. He missed one big chance and took two shots off target. 

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Substitutes 

Mobashir Rahman - 6.5

The local midfielder was forced to play in an unnatural wide position due to Len’s injury. He made one clearance and two interceptions. Mobashir also played four direct balls and delivered one cross.

Jordan Murray - 6.0

Jordan Murray looked out of touch in the 30 minutes he got against his former side. He created a chance though in the last minutes.

Sandip Mandi - 6.0

The Jamshedpur boy was given more game-time owing to Len’s injury. Sandip won two duels for his side.

Ishan Pandita - N/A

Ishan was brought in late as usual. He was denied by inches from a thunderous shot towards the far post from a free-kick.

Alex Lima - N/A

The Brazilian midfielder replaced Greg Stewart in the last 10 minutes. He tried to make impact from some dead-ball situations but it did not work.

https://youtu.be/jokR9Kh9jgc

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Kerala Blasters (by Shivam Tiwari)

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill - 5.5

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill's movement, his best trait according to many, was not up to the mark. He didn't move out of his position to collect many long balls that the Men of Steel launched for Chima. He didn't have to do any shot-stopping, as the Jamshedpur FC forwards forgot their scoring boots at the hotel.

Ruivah Hormipam - 8.0

Ruivah didn't shy away from leaving the defence line and chasing Greg Stewart to keep him quiet. He was also consistent with his passing.

Against the best pressing team of the league, Hormipam didn't lose the ball even once, as per. He also finished with eight clearances and made no fouls in the game. 

Marko Leskovic - 6.5

Marko Leskovic could have done better with his long range passing. He completed only two of his seven attempts. He finished the game with 70% passing accuracy.

Sanjeev Stalin - 6.0

Sanjeev Stalin was anonymous throughout the pitch. The Indian youngster contributed little to the defence or offence. His dribbles didn't come off, neither did the ground duels he was involved in. He finished the game with zero successful dribbles in four attempts, and zero ground duels won in five.

Harmanjot Khabra - 6.5

The Indian veteran returned to the starting XI after serving a two-match ban. He was defensively solid, restricting the duo of Ricky Lallawmawma and Ritwik Das to just four crosses. 

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Sahal Abdul Samad - 8.0

Sahal scored the only goal of the game. He also created a chance for Alvaro Vazquez in the first half through a cross. He could have scored another, but couldn't take the shot while being in a 1v1 situation with the keeper and the offside flag went up as well. 

Ayush Adhikari - 7.0

Ayush was given the nod ahead of the returning Jeakson Singh in the starting XI. The youngster repaid his coach's faith through a solid display in the middle of the park. The 21-year-old midfielder made five recoveries in the 72 minutes he spent on the pitch.

Lalthathanga Khawlhring - 6.0

Lalthathanga Khawlhring's performance was not up to the standards he has set for himself throughout the season. He lost the ball in the defensive third of the Blasters, allowing Chima to get inside the box and try his luck. 

Adrian Luna - 7.5

Adrian Luna saw his free-kick hit the crossbar after he beat TP Reheneesh. The Blasters' captain had the most touches of all the Kerala Blasters players. Adrian Luna also put in a great defensive effort, as he made seven recoveries throughout the game.

Alvaro Vazquez - 6.5

Alvaro Vazquez missed the opportunity to double the lead for the Blasters. He failed to keep the ball in play after he fell short of a dangerous cross from Sahal in the first half. He finished with just 3% touches of his team's total.

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Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 6.5

Jorge Diaz had his header from around the penalty spot saved by the Jamshedpur goalkeeper. The Argentinean created two big chances from two key passes in the game.

Substitutes

Sandeep Singh - 6.5

Otherwise starting as a right-back, Sandeep Singh replaced Sanjeev Stalin as Kerala's left-back against Jamshedpur. He had little defending to do by the time Ivan Vukomanovic introduced him, as the Jamshedpur FC forwards looked to have run out of gas.

Chencho Gyeltshen - 6.0

Chencho had just seven touches in 18 minutes of play as Kerala Blasters decided to protect their lead rather than doubling it.

Jeakson Singh - 6.5

Jeakson Singh was expressive in the limited time he had on the pitch. The former U-17 Indian international chose to commit tactical fouls and put a stop on several Jamshedpur FC build-ups. He finished with four tackles in 18 minutes.

Vincy Barretto - NA

He played for just six minutes and had only six touches.

Enes Sipovic - NA

He was introduced in the final minute of the game.

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