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FC Pune City were handed their first defeat of this year’s campaign by a resilient Delhi Dynamos side 2-1 with goals from debutant Robin Singh and Richard Gadze. FC Pune City pulled one back right at the end with Uche scoring his first goal of the tournament.
David Platt made a surprising change in the Pune line-up with Sanli left on the bench for the second time in a row even after proving himself. Israil Gurung was also left out of the squad with Jackichand Singh starting the game on Pune City’s left flank.
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After a quick round of exchanges between the players, Delhi striker Robin Singh headed in the first goal of the match. After this the away side became more resilient with their defense holding their guards strongly against the Pune strikers.
Gadze added another the second before Uche scored a consolation goal for FC Pune City right before the final whistle was blown.
Here is the player ratings for the match:
FC Pune City
S. Simonsen- 5.5/10
The experienced keeper hardly made any good saves today. During both goals he should have been more active especially during the second goal when he failed to cover Gustavo’s ground pass for Gadze who converted easily. Simonsen has to take more responsibility under the bar.
N. Shorey- 6/10
Shorey tried his best to cover Gadze during the second goal, but with most players in the Delhi half for most parts of the game, it was not possible for him to cover the Dynamos strikers. Throughout the match Shorey kept moving up and down trying to create more meaningful moves for the team.
D. Colotto- 6/10
The Argentine defender was guilty of not marking Robin Singh at the far post during the set-piece which led to the opening goal. He got a one on one opportunity from a free-kick in the first half but failed to capitalize with Doblas snatching the ball right from his feet. Defensively Colotto was pretty average although he was not guilty of too many mistakes other than the decisive one which resulted in the opener for Delhi.
Gouramangi Singh- 6.5/10
Former national team star Gourmangi has been rock solid in defense for the Pune side so far. He is desperate to return back to the national squad and this has surely motivated him to perform. He was often the last man in defense and did well to win the ball on many occasions. Stand out performance by the experienced defender.
D. Ravanan- 5.5/10
Ravanan was pretty average today. He was not able to cover the left wing with Ralte often beating him with his pace throughout the first half. In the second half, the defender composed himself and tried moving up the pitch a lot more. During the first goal, he was guilty of letting Robin Singh outjump him and he will be deemed partly responsible for it.
J. Bailey- 5/10
The English midfielder was hardly noticed during the match. He kept taking the set pieces which did not affect the Delhi defense in any manner. He brought down Dos Santos inside the box and was lucky not to give away a penalty in the second half.
L. Rodrigues- 5/10
Very poor performance from the national team star. Other than the penalty shout, he wasn't effective on the right. He kept making good runs although he failed to provide lethal final balls for the attackers. Leny lost possession almost every time he came near the box with Anas clearly having the upper hand over the winger.
Jackichand Singh- 6.5/10
The Indian national star was very lively in the first half. He kept utilizing the left wing to create attacks but with more men in the flanks, Delhi blocked him completely in the second half of the match. Jackichand created a few half-chances for himself and with a little more luck he could have easily registered his name on the score sheet.
M. Mathani- 5.5/10
Mathani was more defensive and was tasked to cover the defensive line of the team throughout the game. He was virtually a fifth defender even when his team required him to be more offensive. He clearly lacked confidence after being beaten by the skill and pace of Malouda time and again through the first half.
K. Uche- 6/10
Uche did what he was sent on to do but he was a bit too late. He finished off a cool and composed move by the Pune team with a brilliant header during injury time to restore some parity for the home team. Other than the goal he was hardly able to influence the game and Sanli should have been brought on earlier to either support him or to replace the Nigerian striker.
W. Verhoek- 5/10
The Dutchman made a few runs down the left and looked to link up with Uche and Jackichand in the first half. But with time he kept drifting out of the game and had to be replaced during half time. He would ideally need some more time to settle into the team.
Substitutes:
Zokora- 5.5/10
He was brought on late in the game with hardly any time to create any impact. Also with Zokora being a defensive midfielder, it was not understood why he was brought on when Delhi was already leading by a goal.
Lyngdoh- 6/10
Pressure does bring out the best from stars and we saw that today when the costliest Indian player of this year’s auctions came on the field in the second half. With a dismal run of performances for the national team, critics have been scrutinizing the young midfielder’s performances for the past few games. After failing to provide a good free kick, pressure brought the best out of him as he finally sprung into action right at the last minute of the game providing a brilliant ball from the left wing for Uche who converted calmly.
T. Sanli - 6/10
The Turkish substitute constantly tried to make things happen but was unfortunate not to get enough service. His overhead kick went just wide as he failed to connect from a cross from the right side. It was a surprise that he was not given a start for two matches in a row and this has in some way affected his confidence. Sanli has to be given more time on the field to actually make any kind of an impact.
Delhi Dynamos
Doblas- 6.5/10
The former Zaragoza keeper made a brilliant save in a one on one situation in the first half as he came out of his line to snatch the ball right from the feet of Colotto from a free kick. Other than that he was stern and confident throughout the game, giving a lot of support to his fellow defenders.
Anas- 7/10
Playing beside the experienced Riise in the central defence, the Mumbai-born defender had a memorable game today. He has ideally learnt a lot playing alongside the Norwegian legend covering every bit of space in the team’s defence. However, he lost his concentration right at the end due to lack of experience and failed to cover Lyngdoh who provided the cross from which Uche managed to score.
Chicão- 5/10
The poorest performer for the Delhi side, Chicao was nowhere to be seen on the field. He looked fatigued throughout the second half and the team management has to really work on his fitness. Chicao lacked purpose and looked as if he was playing just for the sake of being in the team.
Riise- 6.5/10
Although the Norwegian defender was booked for a foul on Lenny in the first half, he played with a calm and composed head through the rest of the match. His acrobatic efforts to clear the balls put in the box received a lot of accolades from the supporters. Riise is slowly becoming the biggest asset for the Delhi Dynamos team.
Malouda- 7/10
The former Chelsea winger was at his best today as he was the attacking outlet for Delhi Dynamos dictating the proceedings in the first half. It became harder for the Pune defenders to handle him after he provided the assist for the opening goal. With delicate skills and intelligence, he came out on top every time against the FC Pune defenders.
Mulder- 5.5/10
The Dutchman was very active defensively today even while covering the back four during the set pieces. Mulder hardly moved up to attack which was a bit of a surprise. In the first half he lost the ball once to Verhoek in the first half which saw Pune attack in numbers. Other than that he was relatively in charge.
Gustavo Marmentini- 7.5/10
Another stand out performance by the Brazilian youngster, Gustavo’s skills was a joy to watch. Not only did he provide an inch-perfect cross right at the end of the game, but also he kept Delhi’s attack always active. Last year’s find of the tournament, the attacking midfielder could have easily won a penalty when he was tripped from behind in the second half.
Ralte- 6.5/10
Ralte was good in going up the pitch to attack in the first half. However, he could have given away a penalty in the second half for his foul on Lenny. With more and more matches, the young winger is slowly developing himself into a star. Not only did he use his pace effectively, he also utilised his strength to overpower Mathani throughout the game.
Malsawmatulanga- 6/10
Relatively subdued performance by the experienced footballer. Mama did not really make a lot of impact on the match although he tried to form a partnership in the middle with Dos Santos, Malouda and Ralte. He sustained an injury during the last ten minutes of the match which caused him to limp through the last quarter.
Souvik Chakraborty- 5.5/10
Souvik covered Anas’s mistakes towards the end of the match brilliantly giving his all for the team till the last whistle. He was more effective in the second half as he stayed more at the back defending. He made a very bad tackle on Lenny in the first half which could have resulted in a penalty.
Robin Singh- 6.5/10
After a 12-hour journey from Muscat, it was very difficult for the Indian striker to come out and give his best for the Delhi side. But he proved his critics wrong in the first half as he outjumped the Pune defenders to head in the first goal of the match. He used his physical strength brilliantly to hold on to the ball and kept creating chances for the other players.
Substitutes:
Sehnaj Singh- 5.5/10
Sehnaj was brought in to absorb the pressure exerted by Pune in the midfield. He did well to cover the centre of the midfield. With hardly any opportunity to move up, the young midfielder did not create any moves for the team.
Vinicius Ferreria- 5/10
The Brazilian made a couple of hard tackles on Pune players after coming on. Other than this he hardly had any opportunity to make any impact on the game.
R. Gadze- 6/10
The Ghanaian striker opened his account with a poacher’s finish right at the end. Although the goal was down to the quality of the cross, the way Gadze positioned himself was brilliant. He shrugged off his marker to slot in the goal. Brilliant finish by the young striker.
