I-League 2017/18: Mohun Bagan vs Minerva Punjab FC, Player Ratings

Mohun Bagan hosted high-flying Punjab side Minerva Punjab FC in Wednesday's I-League clash at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

Mohun Bagan came into the match on the back of a win against defending champions Aizawl FC. Minerva Punjab FC also entered the game with an away win over Gokulam FC.

Mohun Bagan started the game in the fifth position with a tally of 13 points from their eight matches whereas their opponents, Minerva started in the second spot just behind East Bengal.

Minerva put on a convincing away performance as a brace from their Bhutanese import Chencho Gyeltshen grabbed them the three points and the top spot in the standings. Mohun Bagan tried to come back in the second half but a stunning long-range goal from Kingsley Eze in the 93rd minute proved to be too little, too late.

Mohun Bagan

Shibinraj Kunniyil (6) - The Mohun Bagan keeper who replaced Shilton Paul in the goal had a troubled first half as he was beaten twice by Chencho. Shibinraj had a relatively quiet second half as Bagan pressed the Punjab side, who preferred to stay back and only attack on the counter.

Arijit Bagui (4.5) - The usually active Arijit was subdued on Wednesday as he had to deal with the threat of the Bhutanese striker Chencho Gyeltshen who was a constant threat to the home side. He was beaten many times by Chencho and had a poor game compared to his usual standards.

Kinshuk Debnath (6) - The centre-back for Mohun Bagan had a game of two halves as Minerva kept catching the Bagan defenders on the counter in the first half. Debnath was caught napping during Chencho's second goal but recovered well in the second half.

Eze Kingsley (7) - The former Aizawl man, too, like Debnath was poor in the first half but did well in the second half as they did not allow any Minerva counters to get through on goal. Kingsley scored via marvellous long-ranger in the 93rd minute to cut back the lead but it only proved to a consolation goal.

Ricky Lallawmawma (6.5) - The left-back for Mohun Bagan was active in the attack and combined well with Nikhil Kadam in the midfield. He made many overlapping runs and provided crosses into the box and did well defensively in the second half.

Nikhil Kadam (8) - The winger from Kolhapur was perhaps the best player on the pitch for Mohun Bagan as he kept threatening the Minerva defence from the left flank. He kept pressurising from the left wing and put in countless crosses into the box for Kromah and Dicka to attack but was unfortunate to not grab an assist.

Raynier Fernandes (7) - The Mumbai lad was industrious in his play throughout the match and did well to play alongside Cameron Watson. He moved the ball around well and broke up a lot of counters from the Minerva side in the second half.

Cameron Watson (7) - The Australian midfielder was a calm presence in the midfield as Mohun Bagan tried to get back in the game after going down 2-0 in the first half. He had a good chance at the death to equalise but was unable to keep his shot on target.

Beikhokhei Beingaichho (5.5) - The former Bengaluru man was given his first start by Shankarlal Chakraborty but failed to impress for the Kolkata side. He was replaced at the thirty-minute mark by Sk. Faiaz.

Ansumana Kromah (6) - The Liberian striker was kept quiet for the most part of the match by the Minerva Punjab FC defence. He had a chance to make an impact when he was given the responsibility of taking the penalty but failed to convert.

Aser Dipanda (6.5) - The Bagan striker was always a target man for the wingers in the box but couldn't quite get the decisive shot on the Minerva goal. He earned the penalty when he was brought down by Dagar in the box.

Substitutes:

Sk. Faiaz (6.5) - The young winger was brought on by the coach in the first half and did well on the right flank with his runs. He put in some good crosses for the attackers into the box and was impressive on the pitch.

Naro Hari Shrestha (5.5) - The young striker came on for the final 15 minutes and did well to create a couple of chances. He latched onto crosses from Nikhil Kadam and even had an effort saved by Dagar that was surely headed for towards the back of the net.

Minerva Punjab FC

Rakshit Dagar (8) - The Minerva keeper was superb between the sticks as he kept the Bagan attacks and crosses at bay with his brave goalkeeping. He capped the night off with a brilliant penalty save.

Deepak Devrani (7.5) - The Delhi-born left-back was impressive in the Minerva backline as he kept Arijit Bagui and Sk. Faiaz in check. He won a lot of headers and used his physicality well on the wings to keep out the Bagan attackers.

Sukhdev Singh (7) - The man known for his long throw-ins into the box was a constant threat for the Bagan defenders with his incisive and powerful throws. He had a busy night on the wings with Nikhil Kadam and Ricky attacking throughout the second half.

Guy Eric Dano (7.5) - The burly defender was a strong presence in the Minerva defence as he dealt well with the threat of Asier Dipanda Dicka and Ansumana Kromah. He organised his defence well in the second half as Bagan upped their ante.

Abhishek Ambekar (7) - The Maharashtra boy was active in the midfield with good runs on the right flank as he tried to find Moinuddin and Chencho with good crosses into the box.

Amandeep Singh (6.5) - Amandeep was a strong presence in the midfield as he did well to move the ball around and deal with Cameron Watson and Raynier Fernandes, who kept the Minerva midfield on their toes.

Kassim Aidara (7) - The Minerva Punjab skipper was at his usual best as he played the pivot between the defence and attack. He was always in the thick of things as he organised the team to defend in the second half. Aidara also was responsible for kick-starting the counter attacks for the away side.

Kamalpreet Singh (7.5) - The midfielder was good on the counter-attacking moves and had a couple of shots on the Bagan goal but failed to hit the target.

William Opoku Asiedu (8) - The hard-tackling William Asiedu was heavily involved at both ends for the Minerva side as he put on an industrious display on the pitch. William combined well with Kasim to protect the defence and was a threat on the counter as well.

Chencho Gyeltshen (9) - The hero of the match, Chencho was the best player on the pitch on Wednesday as he grabbed a brace to win the three points for the away side. Chencho was always threatening on the left wing and kept Arijit Bagui busy for the entire duration of the match.

Moinuddin Khan (7.5) - The central striker for Minerva had a good night but just couldn't register his name on the scoresheet. He did well to make crucial runs between the Mohun Bagan defence and was the target man for the crosses.

Substitutes:

Lago Bei (5.5) - Lago Bei came on for Moinuddin in the Minerva attack for the final 20 minutes of the match. He had a couple of chances but failed to hit the target.

Souvik Das (5) - The young midfielder came on for the final five minutes as Minerva held on to the lead for the win.

Akash Sangwan (4) - Sangwan was brought on for the final two minutes as the Minerva coach used up the injury time at the end of the match.