It was a 0-0 draw between Antonio Lopez Habas’ previous and current side at the Rabindra Sarovar stadium. The result was insignificant as the fate of both the teams had been decided already. Atletico de Kolkata had qualified for the playoffs while FC Pune City were destined to finish outside the top 4.
Also read: ISL 2016: Atletico de Kolkata 0-0 FC Pune City - 5 Talking points
Despite ending goalless, the game still had it’s fair share of excitement. On that note, take a look at how each player fared:
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FC Pune City
Arindam Bhattacharya (GK) - 8/10
The local boy stood out amidst a shoddy performance from his team. He was comfortable under the bar and was called to action frequently. From corners, he was efficient in plucking out the loose balls. He hit the right notes and had the composure for most of the game. It was a more than decent performance from the Pune City custodian.
Rahul Bheke – 5/10
The East Bengal man had a tough time marking his fellow red and gold winger Abinash Ruidas. In the first half, he let two incisive crosses come in from the left but was not punished as Juan Belencoso missed. Otherwise, the Maharashtrian had a pretty neat performance throughout. He kept the right flank operative, combining well with wingers. On the other side, he made up for his previous errors and forced Ruidas to change flanks at the end.
Narayan Das – 5/10
Another local boy, Das had his hands full as he tried to impede the mercurial Bidyananda Singh. The 18-year-old proved to be quite a menace for the wingback. Ultimately, Eduardo would clean up as Singh skipped past Das on numerous occasions. Narayan was ineffective in the Pune attacks and would have wished for a better finish to his ISL 2016.
Momo Sissoko – 7/10
The burly central midfielder provided the first shot on target with a long-range effort. That was one of the few saves which veteran goalkeeper Dani Mallo had to make. He did not allow the home side to build up much attack from the midfield. Consequently, it was the wing area which provided some leeway to the ATK attack.
Eduardo Ferreira- 7/10
The Brazilian had a strong presence in composing the central backline of FC Pune City. He made a crunching tackle on the young Bidyananda and rattled the Manipuri in the process. Eduardo would cover hordes of space and help out the wingbacks throughout the game. Atletico had been feeling up the wall of the visitors but he ensured the goal was not breached.
Dharmaraj Ravanan- 6/10
Ravanan had a decent outing against Atletico de Kolkata. The 29-year old put his vast experience to good use against the lanky Atk players. He marked tightly during the corners and did not allow much space to the opposition.
He used his positioning to funnel the Atletico attack seamlessly. The lack of pace of Belencoso helped his cause as he stood tall in difficult situations. His astute presence in the back imparted the much-needed steel.
Sanju Pradhan – 7/10
The former Atletico de Kolkata man was up against his old team. He proved to be a constant threat down the right flank for left back Keegan Perreira. Be it his immaculate stepovers or incisive crosses- Sanju dominated the right channel with ease.
He stayed on till the last quarter and had a number of good passes to his name. But the incoherent Pune attack could not convert the same. It is a pity that he will not be part of the playoffs as his team finished 6th.
Lenny Rodrigues – 4/10
Indian midfielder Lenny had an insignificant first half before he was replaced in the 59th minute. A lot was expected from him but he disappointed with nil contribution. Apart from a wayward shot, he was inconspicuous throughout.
Anibal Zurdo – 4/10
The player who had racked up 5 goals in this season hardly made any contribution tonight. With shoulders hunched, Anibal seemed more eager to end the game and go back. The Mexican striker was trying to set up opportunities from the wings but ended up offering nothing.
Jonatan Lucca- 3/10
Another high profile signing of Habas, was a thorough disappointment in this season. His last game was no different as he merely passed the ball around with no certain intent. Lack of motivation might be the reason for his poor performance.
Momar Ndoye – 3/10
A lot was expected from the speedster, but he fell to the stiff defending of Prabir Das. Ndoye had blistering pace but Prabir did not allow him the space to turn. Consequently, the Senegalese had a frustrating night till he was replaced in the 72nd minute.
Substitutes
Pitu – 3/10
The Spaniard replaced Lenny Rodrigues in the 59th minute to add some more spark in the central midfield. But it was in vain as he was trapped by the defensive midfield pairing of Atletico de Kolkata. Nato and Jewel Raja did not offer him much to build around. The 33-year old huffed and puffed with a few shots but nothing materialised
D. Traoré – 3/10
Traore was brought on in the last quarter by the coach to open up the attack. But with one shot to his name, the 34-year old did not make a difference since coming on. It was all too easy for the ATK backline as they saw off the attacks effortlessly.
Arata Izumi – N/A
Another ex- Atletico man, Arata came in the 81st minute but hardly saw the ball to make any difference. It was all kolkata in the last few minutes of the game.
Atletico de Kolkata
Dani Mallo- 6/10
The veteran goalkeeper was playing his first match of the tournament. But, he seemed at ease from corner kicks or set pieces. He used his height to good advantage and could diffuse the Pune attacks with ease.
Prabir Das – 8.5/10
The young right back was awarded the man of the match for his stellar performance. He marked Ndoye and rendered him ineffective through the left channel. The right back probably had the best game so far as he looked determined to make a statement. Having lost his place in the last few matches, the 22-year old was keen to prove his worth. He let his game do the talking and received accolades for his laudable performance.
Keegan Pereira – 6/10
Apart from a few lapses when Sanju Pradhan got the better of him, Keegan had a decent game. He had set up a sitter for Belencoso which the Spaniard pulled wide of the post. Coming in for the injured Robert, Keegan looks set to feature in the starting eleven in the semi-finals.
Jewel Raja – 5/10
Another local lad, Jewel was deployed as a central midfielder, partnering Oftentse Nato. He did well to break down the Pune attack with his snatching and blocking. But due to his defensive bent, Raja did not aid Atletico attack. The wayward shots did not help his cause either.
Kingshuk Debnath – 8/10
Kingshuk was a household name for Atletico in the 2014 edition. He was back this time, but did not feature in the starting eleven until the last game. He had a brilliant game in the central defensive role. Having played for the same side, Debnath had the understanding which saw him fit aptly. He made up for his lack of height with exquisite positioning. His reading of the game from set pieces and corners made him stand out in the Kolkata defence.
Tiri - 6/10
The Spanish centre-back had a relatively quiet night as most of the workload was shared by his Indian partner. Nevertheless, Tiri ensured there weren’t any loose balls as he mopped up with his long clearances.
Bidyananda Singh – 6/10
The 18-year old Manipuri showed a lot of promise in the right flank with his precision crossing ability. But some poor play in the box did not yield anything worthwhile. It was a good opportunity for the young winger to get some match time as he looks to recover from his injury.
Oftentse Nato – 7/10
It was the first start for the Botswana international and he did not disappoint. He looked confident with his touches and almost scored a goal as his low shot skidded off the far post. He combined effectively with Jewel Raja and shut down the central midfield of Pune. But he could not contribute much in building up the attack. He lacked the prowess to provide the through passes or create any goal scoring chances.
Juan Belencoso – 3/10
The Spaniard was definitely the worst player on the pitch. He should have scored 4 goals, but managed to miss all of them with style. Be it an open net, or a simple tap in, he could not get his act together at all. What was more surprising was that he lasted the entire 90 minutes. It was a match which the striker would not have fond memories of.
Javi Lara – 7.5/10
One of the better Spanish players of Atk, Lara led most of the attacks for his side. His presence was ubiquitous in each of the attacking moves that Molina’s men could conjure. As early as in the 4th minute, Lara hit the first shot on target with a viciously curling free kick. From the centre, he strung counterattacking moves which the strikers failed to convert. Overall, it was another of those consistent performances from the Spaniard.
Abinash Ruidas – 7.5/10
The petite framed left winger had a better game than his previous encounters. Maybe it was the lack of pressure which brought out an improvement in his performance. He set up two chances for Belencoso but they were squandered by the Spaniard.
Substitutes
Stephen Pearson – 7/10
The central midfielder came on in the 73rd minute and had a cracking shot on goal. His effort was saved by Arindam and it fell for Belencoso to tap in. But it was not to be and the Spaniard hit it wide off the mark. It was a clear goal scoring opportunity which the Scot had created. He brought bundles of strength in the central midfield with his powerful runs. He played with a lot of vigour and proved his mettle in the last quarter of the match.
Iain Hume – N/A
Hume came on as late as in the 84th minute to find the elusive goal for Kolkata. But apart from one header in stoppage time, he did not have much to do.
Bikramjit Singh- N/A
It was a double substitution from Molina which saw Bikramjit come on for Bidyananda Singh. The Mohun Bagan man saw off the late attacks from Pune easily. Thereafter, Singh was mostly dormant in his midfield role.
