Ratings: Vanlalpeka Guite shines as India earn revenge over Nepal

The Blue Colts had four different scorers in the final.

India trounced Nepal to win the SAFF U-17 Championship 2022 by a dominant margin of 4-0. The Blue Colts took the lead in the 18th minute through a header form Boby Singh, before doubling it at the 30th minute mark through Korou Singh.

Captain Vanlalpeka Guite, who had assisted the two goals, then got into the act himself by disguising a cross into a shot – embarrassing the Nepalese goalkeeper to make it 3-0 at the 63rd minute.

Subsitute Aman then scored a goal in additional time to cap off a dominant win for Bibiano Fernandes’ side and help them retain the SAFF U-17 Championship title. Here are the player ratings from the game.

Sahil – 7.0

The India goalkeeper was hardly tested in the first half. However, he was forced into action on occasions in the second half and saw Nepal hit the bar once. Overall, it was relatively easy for him to get a clean sheet in the final.

Ricky Meetei – 7.5

The energetic right-back covered a lot of ground marching up and down the pitch. He almost set up a goal after a blistering run just before half time, but saw his effort thwarted by the keeper. Ricky maintained a strong presence at the back by putting in key challenges and not letting too many crosses to come in from his side.

Mukul Panwar – 8.5

Panwar was an absolute colossal at the heart of defence for India and bullied the Nepalese attackers pretty well. He used his physicality and aerial presence to win majority of the aerial duels and showed impressive reactions to make key clearances. In addition to that, he neutralized the attacking threat of Nepal through the middle and earned a well-deserved clean sheet.

Manjot Singh – 7.5

The centre-back worked really well with his partner-in-crime in the middle to make it very difficult for Nepal to break through the backline. Manjot came up with some key challenges and operated smartly to frustrate the attackers.

Gurnaj Singh Grewal– 7.0

Gurnaj kept things really clean at the back, showcasing a solid positional sense and alertness to pounce into challenges. He made some blistering forward runs too, but his inviting crosses went unrewarded.

Danny.M. Laishram – 7.5

Laishram was really proactive in midfield and not shy of wandering into the attacking areas. He got in behind the defence in the first half, but saw his shot saved well. Danny kept things ticking well in midfield and progressed the ball forward smartly, ensuring India kept on pushing Nepal back and causing havoc in the final third.

Malemngamba Singh – 7.0

The defensive-midfielder helped shield his backline admirably well, not allowing Nepal to go through on break-aways or counter-attacks. He made a few crunching tackles and recovered the ball from multiple Nepalese attackers to give his forwards freedom to cause chaos in Nepal’s half.

Boby Singh – 7.5

Boby was a breath of fresh air in the wings and tormented the Nepalese defenders with his clever movement. He opened the scoring with a delicate header into the bottom corner and nearly scored another in the first half after a smart move.

But then the winger missed an absolute sitter from a few yards out in the 73rd minute. Irrespective of that, Boby was a major threat on the left, outclassing his marker time and again and also creating some chances.

Thanglalsoun Gangte – 7.0

The India U-17 no.9 wasn’t directly involved in any of the goals, but shaped his performance to benefit those around him. He used his physicality and positioning to open up space for his fellow attackers and let them go through on goal. Gangte worked hard throughout the game but didn’t come close to scoring.

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Korou Singh – 8.0

The electric winger was a menace with his pace. He used his instinctive movement to get past the Nepalese defence and make way into some key areas. He scored an impressive goal after being played through in on goal. Korou caused a lot of problems on the right and swung in some inviting balls that weren’t capitalized on.

Vanlalpeka Guite – 9.0

The India U-17 captain’s creativity was unmatched in the game. He often dropped deep to dictate things and lead from the front. Guite sent in a perfect cross for Boby’s opener and then split the Nepal defence open with a fantastic pass for Korou’s strike. He scored an exquisite goal in the second half, with his deceived cross going over the keeper into the back of the net. Guite ran the show and is expected to attract attention from many major clubs after this display.

Substitutes

Lalpeklua –  7.5

The winger got a lot of chances to threaten Nepal, receiving the ball in 2v2 or 2v1 situations on a number of times. After seeing a few first attempts thwarted, he capped off a solid substitute cameo with a perfect assist for Aman’s strike.

Ngarin Shaiza –  6.5

Shaiza helped keep up the high intensity in India’s performance after coming on and maintained the pressure on Nepal.

Faizan Waheed – 6.5

Waheed was not really involved in any major things in his cameo outing, but still looked composed on the pitch.

Aman – 7.5

The young striker looked hungry for a goal after coming on in the last 10 minutes. He got in behind the backline multiple times and produced a clinical finish to get his name on the scoresheet.