Indian Player Ratings: Sunil Chhetri on song as Bengaluru hammer FC Pune City

The Blues' captain scored a brace in the first half to ensure an easy win for his side.

Two goals in the first half by captain Sunil Chhetri and a wonder-strike by Miku in the second half put FC Pune City to rest in their first match at home in ISL 5. Although, Pune tried to pull one back their efforts were wasted due to the brilliance of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and an excellent Bengaluru defence.

It remains to be seen whether Pune can recover from this defeat moving forward this season. The following is an insight into how the Indian players on both sides performed on Monday night. 

 

 

 

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Watch: FC Pune City 0-3 Bengaluru FC highlights

FC Pune City

Vishal Kaith - 4.0

Vishal looked hapless under the bar due to an underperforming defence in front of him, which resulted in him relying more on the posts than his own teammates. He could have done better while defending Chhetri’s first goal in the 41st minute, when Bngaluru's Captain Fantastic had a horrible first touch, but his inaction allowed the ball to pass by him from a perfectly placed shot.

Sahil Panwar- 4.5

Panwar started off well in defence and even ventured into attack while creating a good chance for Emiliano Alfaro in the 80th minute. But, his game diminished as time passed. He also made some crucial mistakes, particularly in the 64th minute, when he froze and allowed Miku to slot one past Kaith.

Adil Khan - 5.0

Adil made a couple of mistakes in the first half as he surrendered possession during the attack. He later shifted from the back four to central midfield in the second half after Shankar Sampingiraj came on.

Ashique Kuruniyan - 5.0

Ashique had a pretty low-key game as the young midfielder struggled to get a touch of the ball for most of the match. He even received a yellow card for a foul on Udanta Singh early on in the first half.

Nikhil Poojary - 6.0

Poojary was great in the first half as he looked quite active compared to his fellow teammates. However, the winger slowed down in the second 45, following which he was subbed off.

Sarthak Golui - 4.0

Sarthak had a far from satisfactory outing against the Blues as his unnecessary slide allowed Chhetri to score his second goal in the 43rd minute.

Substitutes

Shankar Sampingiraj- 4.0

The youngster came on for Poojari in the 61st minute, but didn’t make much of an impact on the game.

Alwyn George- NA

Played a minimal part in a quiet appearance.

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Bengaluru FC

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu- 6.0

Gurpreet had a pretty quiet evening. The only highlight of his performance came in the 17th minute, when he pulled off a superb save from a Marcelinho free-kick. He also made an excellent save in the 72nd minute from a Jonathan Vila shot.

Rahul Bheke - 5.5

Bheke had a wonderful outing as he looked solid in his position throughout the first half. With five clearances, three tackles and two blocks, along with numerous runs upfront, he was on fire and put in a commendable shift against Pune.

Nishu Kumar -  6.5

Kumar was good while defending and linked-up well with Chhetri on several occasions moving forward. The full-back can still improve on his final touch, but it does not diminish his excellent positional sense.

Harmanjot Khabra - 6.0

Khabra continued his great run of form this season. The attacking midfielder provided a lot of opportunities for Udanta and Chhetri on the flanks. He also went for a first-time shot in the 34th minute, but the ball sailed way over the bar.

Udanta Singh - 6.0

Udanta has good speed, but the youngster seems to have lost his touch this season. The winger wasted possession a couple of times in the first half.

Sunil Chhetri - 9.0

 

 

 

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Watch: Sunil Chhetri scored a brace against FC Pune City

As usual, the skipper was outstanding in attack as he scored a wonderful brace in the first half. He could have had a hat-trick had he finished an excellent cross from Udanta in the 39th minute. Out of his four shots on target, two produced goals, with a goal conversion rate of 50% showing the immense value Chhetri still holds on the pitch.

Substitutions

Boithang Haokip - N/A

Made a paltry appearance.

Kean Lewis- NA

Did not make an impact on his return to Balewadi.

Referee Review

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Pranjal Banerjee

Commanding on the pitch and showing his immense confidence, Banerjee showed why he is one of the top referees in India. Although he made a few errors and produced some questionable yellow cards, he was still able to control the match pretty well, which was seen in the 90th minute, when he stepped in to stop a fight between Xisco Hernandez and Vila which could easily have escalated into a brawl.