AFC Champions League Playoff: Zob Ahan vs Aizawl FC, Player Ratings

Aizawl FC

Avilash Paul (7/10): The busiest and best player on the pitch for Aizawl. He seemed to be called in action every two minutes. Avilash made some brilliant saves and he is the main reason why Aizawl can come back from Iran with their heads held high.

Lalramhmunmawia (5/10): Lalramhmunmawia tried to keep the defence as compact as possible and defended deep, but his passing and forward movement was very poor which often left Mama isolated upfront. He also seemed to keep the ball at his feet for a long time which hampered Aizawl's overall gameplay.

Masih Saighani (6/10): Masih tired his best to keep the likes of Tabrizi and Kiros quiet, and was quite successful, but at the end the quality of the Iranian forwards paid dividends as Masih looked to be a shade tired during the second half, which allowed the Zob Ahan players to pile on more pressure.

C. Lalrosanga (5/10): Lalrosanga was all over the place, maybe the occasion of an AFC Champions League playoff got to the lad, as he never really settled into the game. He made a rash tackle in the opening stages of the game to gift Zob Ahan a penalty, and he never really recovered from that incident as the likes of Tabrizi and Fakhreddini went past him with ease.

R. Laldinliana (6.5/10): Laldinliana was probably the best defender for Aizawl FC. He worked his heart out on the right side of defence, and he also provided a superb cross for Ionescu to equalise in the first half. He was also one of those players who was frequently called into action and never shied away from a tackle or the chance to venture forward.

A Jaryan (6.5/10): Alfred tried his best to keep the ball, and control the midfield but wasn’t much successful. He though did break down some crucial Zob Ahan attacks in the midfield but couldn’t do much going forward.

Sylo Malsawmtulunga (5/10): Mama hardly had touches of the ball, he did a good job to drop deep and help out Lalramhmunmawia but wasn’t very successful in keeping the Iranians at bay. Mama though did get a good chance to provide Aizawl the lead in the first half, but his shot was deflected out for a corner.

K Lalthathanga (5/10): He worked hard and dropped deep, but he tried to keep the ball too long at his feet which eventually didn’t work in his favour, plus he tried to show off too many fancy flicks and touches which eventually handed Zob Ahan the possession. His passing too wasn’t at all impressive.

D Lalrinmuana (5.5/10): David was silent like a shadow today. He ventured forward very few times and managed to gain a free kick from a good position, but apart from that he didn’t do anything convincing. It was actually disheartening to see David commit so many miss passes as he is someone who is regarded as one of the best passers in Indian football.

A Zohmingmawia (5.5/10): Albert tired his level best, he dropped deep moved to the flanks ran through the centre but couldn’t do much when he had the ball at his feet, he was outmuscled by the superior Iranian players most of the times. And his physical weakness was on display for the most parts of the game.

A Ionescu (7/10): He scored a brilliant opportunistic goal, and made a few darting runs in the first half. Other than that Ionescu was lonely upfront and dropped deep to help out his side in defence. He also seemed to have problems fitting in as the makeshift striker for Saturday’s game as Aizawl was missing their main striker Dodoz.