ISL 2017/18, Match 72: NorthEast United FC vs Delhi Dynamos FC, Player Ratings

Delhi Dynamos snatched three points from NorthEast United FC, which put them in a good spot to not finish in the 10th and the last spot on the ISL table, something which is their ultimate goal for this season.

The match itself wasn't a high-quality affair, as both the teams played sub-standard football and couldn’t create many clear-cut chances. NEUFC did have some good chances but failed to convert them, whereas Delhi utilised the only good chance that came their way, with Kalu Uche scoring an 86th-minute header.

On that note, let's take a look at how the players performed.

NorthEast United FC

TP Rehenesh (6/10): Rehenesh didn’t have much to do during the 90 minutes and was called into action very few times. He did look shaky though, and spilled the ball on more than one occasion.

Nirmal Chettri (6.5/10): Nirmal did a good job as the right back. He first kept the likes Seityasen and Chhangte quiet and then went forward and helped Doungel in attack. But his crosses were not of the desired quality.

Sambinha (7/10): Sambinha was seen covering for his teammates more often than not. He also made some crucial tackles and clearances.

Jose Goncalves (6/10): Jose had a big physical presence during set plays, but overall wasn’t really up to the mark. He looked shy while going into the tackles, and could have done more to have stopped the Delhi attackers from getting into the box.

Reagan Singh (5.5/10): Reagan didn’t have a good game, as he was beaten time and again by the likes Seityasen and Romeo. His link up and passing was also very poor.

Martin Diaz (6/10): Martin did well to hold up play and slow things down in the middle of the park, but at times he nearly slowed down the whole game, which had a negative effect on his own team.

Rowllin Borges (6/10): Rowllin provided a gem of a through ball to Marcinho which the Brazilian could fully make use of. However, the defensive side of his game was lacking, and he was often caught out of position.

Seiminlen Doungel (5.5/10): Worked really hard to make some good runs, but his forward or final passes were really poor, and his finishing was horrible. He missed the chance of the game in the first half, when his feeble shot landed straight into Xabi's hands.

Marcinho (5.5/10): Marcinho made some good runs, but wasn't very successful in converting his chances. He even had a couple of headers which went wide. He was also bough down inside the box after which he suffered an injury and was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty.

Lalrindika Ralte (6.5/10): Dika was lively in the first half in the middle of the park. He helped out his side in defence and then on the counter, played some delicious balls to his attackers.

Maic Sema (5.5/10): Maic didn’t see much of the ball, and except two runs, he wasn’t very effective whenever called into action. He did seem unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after Rowilson had apparently pulled his shirt inside the d box.

Delhi Dynamos

Xabier Irureta (7.5/10): Xabi looked solid whenever called into action even though didn’t have to make some stunning saves. He looked confident handling the regular shots.

Rowilson Rodrigues (7/10): Rowilson had a good game, as he hassled and harried the NEUFC attackers, he made some crucial blocks and tackles, and always had an imposing physical presence at the back.

Md. Sajid Dhot (7.5/10): The youngster had a good game, and did really well to keep Maic Sema quiet for most parts of the game, His performance tonight did earn him praise from Delhi coach Miguel Portugal during the post-match conference.

Gabriel Cichero (7/10): Gabriel was tasked with keeping Marcinho NEUFC’s point of attack quiet, and was mostly successful in doing so, barring a few instances when the Brazilian got the better of him.

Sena Ralte (6/10): Ralte was a busy man as he was seen chasing Len around the ground wherever the Manipuri striker went forward. He wasn’t very successful in stopping Len from cutting out in from the flanks, but did a good job to make sure that Len didn’t enter the box often.

Joren Lumu (7/10): Lumu played intelligent football today, as he was often seen drifting inside and helping out his central midfielders, which in turn opened up the flanks for his wing backs to run into. He was also the main reason why Nirmal Chettri had such a busy night.

Vinit Rai (6.5/10): Vinit again did what he has been doing so well for Delhi this season, and that is acting as the perfect screen in front of the defence. He went about his business in a quiet manner and seldom gave the ball away. He even had a pass completion rate of 95 percent.

Seityasen Singh (6.5/10): Seityasen kept his former Royal Wahingdoh teammate Reagan Singh from running circles around him. However, his final deliveries into the box were really poor, and he could have done more work defensively

Manuel Arana (6/10): Arana didn’t have a good game, and was rightly substituted. He had very few touches of the ball and drifted out of position on a couple of occasions. He also had a very poor pass completion rate which really hampered Delhi’s build up play.

Matias Mirabaje (7/10): Matias was an imposing figure in the middle of the pitch for Delhi. He saw a lot of the ball, and completed nearly all the passes he attempted. He also won a lot of duels in the midfield of the park, which helped Delhi break down NEUFC’s rhythm.

David Ngaihte (7.5/10): David was lively from the first minute. He tracked back and helped out his team in defence and was a menace while going forward. He always looked to make intelligent runs into the NEUFC box and it was his brilliant run and cross which resulted in a goal for Delhi Dynamos.

Edited by Soumo Ghosh