Indian Player Ratings: Jeje Lalpekhlua the sparkling beckon as Chennaiyin upset Bengaluru

The Mizo Sniper scored his first goal of the season in the Marina Machans' win.

Saturday evening saw bottom-dwellers Chennaiyin FC pulling off a shocker, as they defeated table-toppers Bengaluru FC 2-1. A second half goal from Bengaluru’s talisman Sunil Chhetri was not enough to overcome the lead established by the Marina Machans in the first half.

 

 

 

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Watch: Chennaiyin FC 2-1 Bengaluru FC highlights

We at Khel Now bring you the ratings of the Indian players who took part in the game:

Chennaiyin FC

Karanjit Singh – 6.5

The Indian shot-stopper was not called upon too many times over the course of the game. He made three saves, including one diving to his left to prevent the visitors from finding a foothold in the game in the first half.

Laldinliana Renthlei – 7.0

The right-back was charged with the considerable task of keeping Chettri quiet for 90 minutes. While he did allow the striker to run off him for Bengaluru’s goal, his composure over the course of the game was highly impressive. Chennaiyin’s #26 also provided the assist for Gregory Nelson’s goal.

Tondonba Singh - 6.0

It was a strong defensive performance from the young full-back. Over the course of the 90 minutes, he maintained a 79% passing accuracy and made four tackles. The only criticism of Singh would be that he did not offer a lot going forward.

Zohmingliana Ralte – 5.0

Ralte did not last long enough in the game to make a significant impact, as he was hauled off due to injury after 19 minutes to be replaced by Anirudh Thapa.

Francisco Fernandes – 6.0

The Indian midfielder had a relatively quiet game against Bengaluru. He maintained a 81% passing accuracy over the 90 minutes, but missed a relatively easy chance to put his side three goals in front, after the ball was rolled into his path by Nelson.

CK Vineeth – 7.0

Chennaiyin’s new signing from Kerala Blasters, CK Vineeth took up a position slightly behind Jeje Lalpekhlua, often playing as the second striker. He held the ball up well for his compatriot throughout the game.

Jeje Lalpekhlua – 8.0

The Mizo striker scored his first goal in the ISL for the best part of a year, albeit slightly fortuitously, as the ball bounced to him in the box. Jeje will hope that this goal will be the first of more to come, as his side prepare for the AFC Cup Qualifiers.

Substitutions

Anirudh Thapa – 7.0

Thapa replaced Ralte early in the first half and put on the kind of performance that we have come to expect from the 20-year-old, with the incisive passes and drops of the shoulder that are quickly becoming his trademark.

Thoi Singh – 5.0

Thoi Singh was disappointing in the 25 minutes that he was on the pitch for, only managing a pass accuracy of 25%. He will be hoping to find the goalscoring touch that he had at the beginning of the season.

Mohammed Rafi – NA

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Bengaluru FC

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 5.0

India’s current #1 had a bad day at the office, as he was culpable for Jeje’s goal. He made three saves over the course of the game, but conceded two goals.

Rino Anto – 6.5

The defender was overpowered by Nelson, as he headed the South Indian side into a two-goal lead at the Marina Arena. Anto made six clearances and three interceptions over the course of the game.

Rahul Bheke – 7.0

The highly-rated Indian defender maintained an impressive pass accuracy of 88% and made a massive eight clearances. However, Bheke was kept quiet for most of the game and not allowed to venture into the opposition half on too many occasions.

Nishu Kumar – 6.5

Kumar looked most ordinary at left-back for Bengaluru. He managed a single tackle over the course of the match, but was kept from having too much of an impact on the game by the Chennaiyin attackers.

Harmanjot Khabra – 6.0

Khabra had a very quiet game in midfield, as he played as a holding midfielder for his side. He was often overrun by a rampant Raphael Augusto throughout the night and was taken off the pitch in the dying moments.

Sunil Chettri – 8.0

The Bengaluru captain worked tirelessly throughout the 90 minutes and was rewarded with a very well-taken goal. However, his efforts were in vain as his side fell to a shock defeat at the hands of the reigning champions.

Substitutions

Kean Lewis – 5.0

Lewis was disappointing for the 42 minutes that he was on the pitch, managing a meagre pass accuracy of 48%. The Indian midfielder was lucky to get away without a booking after a crunching challenge on Tondonba Singh.

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Ajay Chettri – NA

Did not get enough time on the pitch to be rated.