Kerala Blasters Vs ATK Ratings: Jeakson Singh shines on league debut

The visitors scored first but could not hold onto their lead as Bartholomew Ogbeche netted a brace to snatch all three points.

The opening game of the ISL 2019-20 season, Kerala Blasters Vs ATK, saw the hosts come from behind to beat the vistors 2-1 and kick-start their Indian Super League campaign on a perfect note. ATK started the game brightly, when Carl McHugh came up with a long-range goal with the visitors taking the lead.

However, after a few controversial calls from the referee, the hosts had a clear penalty when Pronay Halder brought down Jairo Rodrigues in the area. Bartholomew Ogbeche made no mistake from the spot to bring his team level. The Nigerian also came up with the winner, when he got on the end of a pinpoint cross from Prasanth K. ATK had their chances throughout, but the Red and Whites were wasteful in front of goal.

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Watch: Kerala Blasters Vs ATK Highlights

Kerala Blasters

Bilal Khan (Goalkeeper)- 6.0

Bilal Khan was shaky throughout the first half. His distribution and decision-making were questionable. However, as the game went on he gradually gained confidence and his distribution got better. He was also more decisive in his approach.

Mohamad Rakip- 6.5

The youngster showed a lot of heart in both attack and defence. He ventured forward whenever he had the chance and was also very rigid in defence and did not allow an inch to his counterparts.

Jessel Carneiro- 6.5

The young left-back from Goa impressed the spectators with his decisive ball control and express pace. His ability to drive crosses and set-pieces into the box from the left-hand side was on display and it created problems for the visitors every now and then.

Jeakson Singh- 6.5

The heartthrob of Indian fans at the FIFA U-17 World Cup made his ISL debut and he was pretty decent with his distribution. He mostly supported Moustapha Gning in a double pivot and went on doing his job with aplomb. He dropped deep whenever need to provide more support to the backline.

Prasanth K- 6.0

The local boy played with a lot of heart as he was was the creator for the second goal. He lost his marker time and again on the right flank and his low crosses were a nightmare for the ATK defence. Although, in the second half he looked a little lost with the Blasters dropping deep and defending more.

Halicharan Narzary- 6.0

A tireless runner, Narzary has lived up to the expectations of the spectators. The Manipuri winger kept Pritam Kotal busy throughout the game and also dropped deep to help out Carneiro in defence. However, the only area he still needs to improve is his crossing.

Substitutions

Sahal Abdul Samad- N/A

Last season's Emerging Player came on for Jeakson late in the game, as Eelco decided to add more attacking edge to the midfield. The 22-year-did put in a shift and helped his side cross the line with all three points.

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ATK

Arindam Bhattacharya- 6.0

The ATK custodian was not at fault for both the goals he conceded. Bhattacharya was just undone by the quality of Bartholomew Ogbeche. He dived the right way for the penalty, but the shot was too good

Prabir Das- 6.5

Prabir had a decent comeback to action. He connected well with Soosairaj and Williams on the flanks and held his lines pretty well at the back, showing a tremendous work-ethic. His crosses often posed danger for the Blasters' defence.

Pritam Kotal- 6.0

The India international had an average day at the office according to his standards. He had an interesting duel with Narzary throughout the game, keeping his daunting overlapping runs out of the game.

Pronay Halder- 5.0

It was from his mistake that ATK conceded a cheap penalty, which resulted in the equalizer for the hosts. Halder was poor with his distribution and lost possession numerous times. He was reckless with his challenges conceding meaningless fouls, which disrupted the rhythm of ATK's attacking build-up.

Jayesh Rane- 5.5

Played in a deeper role alongside Pronay Halder, Rane was mostly dominated by the presence of Gning and others. He ventured forward at times and created a few chances, but was subbed off on the hour mark.

Michael Soosairaj- 6.0

The former Jamshedpur FC man had a good outing for his new club, as he danced past the Kerala defenders with his tricks. He even earned a clear penalty which was waved off by the referee.

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Substitutions

Sehnaj Singh- 5.0

Came on for Jayesh Rane and held possession much better than Halder. Sehnaj was decent with his distribution, but being a defensive midfielder did not have much of an attacking impact which ATK needed.

Balwant Singh- N/A

The veteran forward was brought in to add more attacking teeth upfront in search of an equalizer. However, Balwant hardly had any impact on the game.