The first semi-final of the Indian Super Cup took place in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar today. It was the age-old rivalry of Bengal vs Goa tie where East Bengal faced off against FC Goa.
Goa came into the game having a huge disadvantage as they had only 14 players available for the tie today, and could manage to name only 3 out substitutes out of which one was a reserve goalkeeper
East Bengal had all their resources and looked to get a hold of the game be the first team to book their spot in the finals.
East Bengal beat 10 men FC GOA to be the first team to reach the Indian Super Cup finals. East Bengal won the tie through a Dudu goal. FC Goa’s skipper Edu Bedia was shown the marching order in the 82nd minute when he was shown his second yellow of the game.
On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings from today’s game.
East Bengal
Ubaid CK (6/10): In truth, Ubaid had a quiet game, he didn’t have to make any crucial saves and most of the times he touched the ball was during goal kicks. Ubaid though didn’t lob balls forward and always looked to find a man from his goal kicks and passes.
Lalram Chullova (7/10): Chullova had a good game, and didn’t allow Mandar to get past him, in fact it was his runs down the flanks that kept Mandar busy in defence. Chullova also made some good passes and didn’t give away the ball cheaply.
Eduardo Ferreira (6.5/10): Eduardo was the best defender for East Bengal as he won most aerial duels, he also kept a check on Coro and made sure the FC Goa strikers didn’t get space and time inside the box.
Gurwinder Singh (6/10): Gurwinder looked a bit hasty during the game, but overall was good. He had a big physical presence and overshadowed Manvir for most parts of the game.
Samad Ali Mallick (6.5/10): Samad was lucky not to see a direct red when he kung-fu kicked Mandar while following through on a second ball. He had a good attempt from long range in the initial moments of the game. He was also very good with his tackles and made a world-class ball-winning tackle on Coro in the dying moments of the game.
Khalid Aucho (8/10): Khalid Aucho was the main reason Coro was kept quiet for most parts of the game, his tackling was spot on and made a lot of clearances and anticipations. He also cut down Goa’s passing channels and won a lot of second balls in midfield.
Cavin Lobo (6.5/10): Lobo was the main anchorman in midfield today for East Bengal, as he did his defensive and offensive duties properly. He played some good balls to Katsumi and Dudu, but the forwards couldn’t utilize them.
Katsumi Yusa (7.5/10): Katsumi was the man for East Bengal today. He created numerous chances for East Bengal. He also saw three shots being saved by Kattimani. It was his clever cross to Dudu that resulted in the goal for East Bengal.
Md. Al Amna (7/10): Al Amna was subdued for the first few minutes of the game but then slowly started getting a hold of the game. He was Goa’s target number one and was brought down many times during the game. Amna also missed a golden opportunity in the first half.
Laldanmawia Ralte (6/10): Ralte didn’t have the best games today, he did run past Narayan Das quiet often but his crosses were poor today. He did have a few good chances too, but his poor first touch let him down on a couple of occasions.
Dudu (7/10): Dudu missed more than a few chances but made amends when he tapped in a Katsumi cross brilliantly. Dudu did have problems linking up with Katsumi and Amna today, and except the cross from which he scored he failed to get a touch on the ball on numerous occasions.
Substitutes
Gabriel Fernandes (5/10): Gabriel was brought on in place of Ralte and he didn’t have much to do in the game. He did have one good chance but his hasty shot went wide of the mark.
Kromah (6.5/10): Kromah came on in place of injured Dudu and showed some good skills on the ball. He went past his man on a couple of occasions. It was Edu Bedia’s tackle on Kromah that saw the FC Goa skipper get his marching orders.
Jobby Justin (N/A): Jobby Justin was brought on late in the game to kill time and hardly had a touch of the ball.
FC Goa
Laxmikant Kattimani (7.5/10): Kattimani made many great saves to keep Goa alive in the game. The saves he made from Dudu and Katsumi shots were world class. Kattimani also had a good role in marshaling his defenders.
Amey Ranawade (6.5/10): The youngster was making his debut for FC Goa, and had the best chance for Goa to score in the second half. Amey had a few good runs in attack, and made some crucial tackles in defence.
Seriton Fernandes (6.5/10): Seriton did a good job in keeping Dudu at bay, but was living life dangerously as he made some unwanted fouls in dangerous position. He was also lucky to see a couple of his pushes and trips going unnoticed by the referee.
Md. Ali (6.5/10): Nearly scored the opening goal of the game when he got his head to a Edu Bedia free kick, but his effort went just above the bar. Ali was probably the most stable defender for Goa as he made numerous blocks and anticipations.
Narayan Das (5/10): Narayan had busy first half as he was kept very busy by Ralte. He was often beaten by Ralte and could do little about the way Ralte ran past him.
Pratesh Shirodkar (5.5/10): Pratesh Shirodkar was Edu Bedia’s partner in crime in midfield as he went on a tackling spree to break down East Bengal’s attacks in midfield. After Edu Bedia’s sending off it was Pratesh who pulled the strings for Goa in midfield.
Edu Bedia (4/10): Made a statement of sorts with his first touch of the game, when he completely blasted the ball out of bounds right after the kickoff. How he lasted the first half without getting sent off is really mysterious.
He finally got his marching orders in the 82nd minute when tripped Kromah from behind got see his second yellow. Edu hot-headedness cost Goa the game.
Liston Colaco (6/10): Liston showed some good feet-work in middle of the park. He looked to provide some good balls to his forwards and had a big role in ensuring that Goa had more of the ball in the first half.
Mandar Rao Dessai (5.5/10): Mandar looked dangerous on the counter, but was mostly pegged back and was busy helping out his defenders. Mandar overall had a poor game and was rarely seen on the ball.
Manvir Singh (5/10): Manvir looked lively upfront, but his link-up play with Mandar and Coro was below average. He also had a few chances in the second half but skied all his attempts
Ferran Corominas (7/10): Coro had a moment of magic in the 44th minute when he wiggled past a couple of EB defenders to free up himself, alas he hit the outside of the post from an acute angle.
His free kick from 22 yards out was world class, but he was unlucky to see the shot rattled the woodwork. Coro even though didn’t have many chances showed what he is capable of doing.
Substitutes
Md. Yasir (5/10): Yasir was brought on right after Goa conceded the goal. He didn’t have any proper impact on the game, and his crosses were also wayward.
Anthony D'Souza (5/10): Anthony had a good chance to cross, but failed to find his target. Other than that Anthony didn’t have much to do, he also failed to get past Samad, on most occasions.