India Vs Pakistan Player Ratings: Manvir Singh stars as Chhangte sees Red

After failing to capitalize on their chances in the first half the Blue Tigers coasted to victory in the second half.

India progressed into the final of the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 with a thumping 3-1 win over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. A brilliant brace from Manvir Singh and a goal from Sumit Passi was enough for Stephen Constantine’s men to stride through to another SAFF Cup final. Here are our Indian player ratings from the thrilling encounter.

Watch: India 3-1 Pakistan highlights

Vishal Kaith- 6/10

Kaith was forced to be on his heels and stuck right into the tough conditions to save India from doom on many occasions. He was guilty of conceding a humiliating free-kick, but made up for it with some stunning saves to deny Pakistan afterward.

Davinder Singh- 6/10

He looked quite uncomfortable on the right which encouraged Pakistan to move through that wing. Davinder did well to clear some attacks, but his poor chemistry with Sarthak Golui often caused problems for India. Things improved for the youngster in the second half, where he got better cover and made some decent clearances to keep his side in control.

Match report and highlights: Manvir Singh's brace fires India past arch rivals Pakistan in SAFF Suzuki Cup semis

Sarthak Golui- 5/10

Golui had a really difficult time in the center and often ended up in trouble because of Pakistan’s persistent pressure. He conceded two horrible free-kicks, one through a backpass and another by blatantly bringing down a Pakistan player. The defender's distribution was poor too, as he gave away the ball easily on numerous occasions.

Golui’s poor header allowed Bashir to score the goal and break India’s perfect defensive record in the tournament, summing up a disappointing evening for the FC Pune City defender.

Salam Ranjan Singh- 7/10

Salam looked like a dependable option for India against Pakistan

Singh did not let his teammates' nervy moments get to him and looked really confident on this intense occasion. He blended in with the conditions pretty well and was almost untouchable in the air, which allowed him to clear the ball out of danger on numerous occasions. His positioning was excellent as he was always there to intercept any chances and produced a really mature performance.  

Subashish Bose- 6/10

Bose played in a more comfortable left-back role and despite not looking the most assured while defending set-pieces, he was an calm figure otherwise. He didn’t allow Pakistan to penetrate through his wing and was impressive going forward, delivering some promising crosses which weren't capitalized on.

Vinit Rai- 7.5/10

Rai set up Manvir Singh's second goal against Pakistan

Rai seemed to actually thrive on the occasion and was actually enjoying himself in closing down Pakistan midfielders and not allowing them to dominate the game. His passing was superb and some of his crunching tackles made everyone remember the heat of the game.

The midfielder took a decent shot on goal in the first half that forced a good save from opposition keeper Yousuf Butt.  Later, he showed amazing persistence to go forward on a lethal counter-attack and teed up Manvir to score his second goal.

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Anirudh Thapa- 6/10

Thapa was once again a pocket of energy in midfield and always on the lookout for creating chances. He did create a few decent opportunities, but had to fulfil his defensive duties on the day and did so pretty well.

He let Vinit Rai play a more attacking role while he control his troops and made sure they maintained momentum. However, Thapa visibly ran out of steam towards the end, which didn't allow him to close down Bashir for his goal, but that didn't affect the outcome of the game.   

Ashique Kuruniyan- 7.5/10

Ashique looked dangerous in the left wing and created many chances

Ashique looked really comfortable on the left-hand side and caused big problems for Shehbaz Younus with his movement. He went past him on numerous occasions and sent in some terrorizing balls into the area.

The striker made some great movement and provided a peach of an assist for Manvir’s goal, proving his ability. Ashique looked excellent whenever on the left-wing.

Nikhil Poojary- 6/10

Poojary was again a menacing figure on the right-hand side and was always looking to take on his defender and create something for the Blue Tigers. He sent in some impressive low crosses into the box and was unlucky not to get anything on the day. He looked a bit monotonous and exhausted towards the end of the game, which resulted in him being substituted.

Farukh Choudhary- 6.5/10

Farukh proved how much of a clever striker he is by slipping past the Pakistanis on more than one occasion, as he also had some shots at goal, but saw them slip wide past the target. He found the run of Ashique really well for Manvir’s goal and repeated that move with another clever pass to Ashique for the third goal.

Manvir Singh- 8/10

Singh retained his excellent form in this heated contest and used his strength to his advantage to bully Pakistan’s defenders. His distribution was great and he linked-up well with Farukh, but scuffed one big chance in the first half. However, he held back Pakistan’s defender and put his side ahead with an expert finish later. He showed amazing determination to get forward and blazed in his second goal, which capped off an excellent,  all-around performance.

Substitutes

Lallianzula Chhangte- 5/10

Chhangte made an instant impact after coming on as he collected the ball from his own half and went on a darting run into Pakistan's final third, before making a clever pass which eventually led to Manvir’s goal. But, he showed his inexperience after poorly stamping on a Pakistani player and get unnecessarily sent off.

Sumit Passi- 7/10

The Birthday Boy seemed to be hungry to get his first goal of the tournament and proved to be the perfect replacement for the brilliant Manvir. He got on the end of Ashique’s cross to give India an unassailable lead and capped off a great birthday for himself.

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Vignesh Murthy- N/A

Murthy came on with only minutes left on the clock and couldn’t create anything during his cameo.