Ratings: Attackers shine as Hyderabad FC, Mumbai City share spoils

It was a high-octane clash between two contenders that saw plenty of goals.

Hyderabad FC and Mumbai City played an entertaining contest at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune in their first Indian Super League game of the 2022-23 season. The game ended in a 3-3 draw as Joao Victor (2) and Halicharan Narzary scored for HFC while Greg Stewart and Alberto Noguera scored for MCFC with an own goal coming from Chinglensana Singh early on. 

The game was never dominated by a single team with both teams taking the lead at one point. At the end of the final whistle, the draw was a fair result with both teams playing decent football for the spectators in attendance.

Here are the player ratings from the draw between Hyderabad FC and Mumbai City.

Hyderabad FC (by Waseem Zaidi)

Laxmikant Kattimani (GK) - 5.5

Laxmikant Kattimani conceded three goals but did not receive a lot of help from his defence in either of them. He commanded his area well otherwise. More support is needed from the men in front of him in the forthcoming games.

Chinglensana Singh - 4.5

The centre-back scored an unfortunate own goal on the evening while attempting to clear a dangerous cross. He was at fault for the second goal from Mumbai City as Greg Stewart was able to nutmeg him easily inside the box and score past the goalkeeper. 

Odei Onaindia - 6.0

Odei Onaindia led the backline well but conceding two goals overshadowed his performance. The centre-back also received a yellow card for protesting after the second goal from MCFC. However, his key contribution came in the form of an assist for the third goal.

Nikhil Poojary - 5.5

Nikhil Poojary had a tough evening with Bipin Singh causing him a lot of trouble. He was unable to provide much support while going forward. The full-back made an interception and two blocks.

Manoj Mohammed - 6.5

Manoj Mohammed had a positive game despite being under pressure to deliver in Akash Mishra’s absence in the left-back position. He made six blocks on the night and made two clearances while giving Lallianzuala Chhangte a lot of headaches. 

Halicharan Narzary - 7.5

Halicharan Narzary sent Hyderabad FC into the lead with a brilliant goal in the second half. The winger was ambitious and energetic in his display. He also made three crosses and got two shots on target out of four.

Hitesh Sharma - 5.5

It was a rather lukewarm performance from Hitesh Sharma who made one cross and created one scoring chance. Notably, the midfielder had a 86% passing success rate, which is promising. 

Mohammad Yasir - 7.5

Mohammad Yasir provided a brilliant assist for the second goal, feeding Halicharan Narzary with a well-timed through ball. The winger was trigger-happy and took multiple shots on goal but failed to secure one for himself. It was a positive performance overall nonetheless which saw him create three chances. 

Joao Victor - 9.0

The skipper scored a crucial goal from the penalty spot to even the score at half time. In the second half, the Brazilian added Hyderabad FC’s third with a headed goal from close-range. 

Joel Chianese - 6.5

Joel Chianese was significant for Hyderabad FC in terms of creativity. The midfielder created two chances too, but left the pitch at the stroke of the 59th minute after picking up an injury.

Bartholomew Ogbeche - 6.5

The striker did well to win the penalty for his team which eventually was converted by Joao Victor. Apart from that one moment, it was a rather quiet night for the Nigerian, who did not enjoy a lot of space.

Substitutions

Borja Herrera - 6.0

The Spaniard made his debut from the bench tonight, replacing Joel Chianese. He delivered a quality ball in the box with his left foot which almost led to a goal.

Sahil Tavora - 5.0

Sahil Tavora made another appearance from the bench, getting nine minutes of football. He could not get involved a lot in the game due to the period which saw MCFC dominate more of the ball.

Javier Siverio - 5.5

Siverio joined the action too late to make an impact, but was close to scoring late on with a header.

Abdul Rabeeh - 6.0

The winger delivered three crosses from the right flank but none of them led to a goal.

Mumbai City FC (by Tarkesh Jha)

Phurba Lachenpa - 5.0

The custodian could have been more commanding during set pieces, particularly the one that led to Hyderabad FC's third goal. Narzary slotted in the ball comfortably through Lachenpa’s legs for the second goal as Mumbai would have hoped for a more assertive performance from their goalkeeper. 

Rahul Bheke - 5.0

The right-back was partly at fault for Narzary’s goal as he couldn’t track back on time. He linked up well with Lallianzuala Chhangte in the opening stages of the game but was pegged back deeper as the game progressed. 

Mourtada Fall - 5.0

There was a clear lack of coordination in Mumbai’s backline and Mourtada Fall is arguably culpable of not leading the defence well. He was substituted in the 57th minute in order to introduce more creative elements in Mumbai’s midfield. 

Rostyn Griffiths - 6.0

The towering centre-back grew into the game but would have hoped for some better communication amongst the defenders for a major portion of the match. However, he was vital in building up Mumbai’s attack whenever the side looked to play out from the back. 

Mandar Rao Dessai - 5.0

Dessai appeared to be a bit ruffled as Hyderabad piled on attacks in the second half. An innate composure was missing in his defensive moves and he didn’t offer anything significant moving up the flank either. 

Lalengmawia Ralte - 6.0

It was certainly a game of two halves for the young midfielder. He was actively involved in the thick of actions early on but the 21-year-old was cowed down as Hyderabad turned up the gear in the latter stages of the match. Apuia might arguably benefit from a more defensively industrious partner in the heart of the midfield going ahead in this campaign. Also, it was his mistake that led to Hyderabad earning a penalty.

Vinit Rai - 6.0

Rai was possibly one of Mumbai’s better players for the 57 minutes he stayed on the field. He looked to move ahead incisively but had to be taken off as Mumbai chased the game more proactively in the last half-hour of the match. 

Lallianzuala Chhangte - 6.0

Lallianzuala Chhangte started the game on a positive note as he connected well with Bheke and regularly sent in tempting deliveries into the box. However, he seemed to fade off from the proceedings later on and Buckingham would expect more from his winger going ahead. 

Greg Stewart - 8

Stewart regularly dropped back in order to release the two wingers with his perfectly weighted passes on to the flanks. He was instrumental in leading Mumbai’s charge back into the game and will be content having bagged a goal and an assist each in his league debut for the Islanders. 

Bipin Singh - 6.5

Bipin engaged in some purposeful attacking moves and his pass was vital in securing Mumbai’s opening goal in the match. He will, however, be a tad bit disappointed at missing out on some good goal-scoring chances due to lack of accuracy in the final third. 

Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 6.0

Jorge Pereyra Diaz seemed to have developed a fine understanding with Stewart and the two wingers as the four combined to create some fine patterns in the final third. However, Mumbai surely were better off in attack after Diaz was taken off to shake up the line-up in the 57th minute. 

Substitutes

Ahmed Jahouh - 7.5

Ahmed Jahouh delivered what he was called for in the game with the assist for the equalizer and his performance tonight might certainly compel Buckingham to start him in the XI next Saturday. 

Alberto Noguera - 7.5

Alberto Noguera showed terrific awareness by getting at the end of the third goal and proved his worth with an impactful cameo along with Jahouh. 

Mehtab Singh - 5

Mehtab’s introduction was vital for Mumbai to get more creative in attack but his defensive performance was as uninspiring as the rest of the backline. 

Sanjeev Stalin - N/A

Rowllin Borges - N/A