ISL 2017/18, Match 88: Chennaiyin FC vs Mumbai City FC, Player Ratings

Match 88 of the Hero Indian Super League saw Chennaiyin FC host Mumbai City FC in a dead rubber clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, India.

The hosts had already qualified for the playoffs with a tally of 29 points from their seventeen matches of the season and a win tonight would have lifted them from the third to second spot in the table. Mumbai City FC, on the other hand, started on the 7th spot with 23 points from their seventeen matches and aimed for a win to ensure direct qualification for the Super Cup.

Chennaiyin FC came out on the top over the Mumbai City FC side courtesy a penalty from Rene Mihelic in the second half. Both the sides had efforts on goal as the keepers put in a solid performance between the sticks. Chennaiyin FC rise to the second spot in the ISL standings with this win.

Chennaiyin FC

Pawan Kumar (6.5/10) - The debutante keeper had a confident showing between the sticks for the home side as he dealt with aerial balls as well the long-range efforts from the Mumbai midfielders.

Thoi Singh (6/10) - The midfielder played in the right-back role tonight and used his pace well to defend against Balwant Singh.

Keenan Almeida (6/10) - The former FC Goa man played in central defence as John Gregory put on a revamped backline for the match. He combined well alongside Dhanachandra to keep the Mumbai attackers in check.

Dhanachandra Singh (6/10) - The left-back by nature played in the central defence for the Chennaiyin side. The new-look Chennai defence did well to contain the attacking threat of the Mumbai attack.

Fulganco Cardozo (6/10) - The left-back for the Chennaiyin side did well both in attack and defence for the home side as he was active on the flank. He did well to defend against the threat fo Everton Santos as well.

Bikramjit Singh (5.5/10) - The defensive midfielder played alongside Germanpreet Singh in the Chennaiyin setup to curb the attacking threat of Mumbai in the centre. He was replaced in the second half by Anirudh Thapa.

Germanpreet Singh (6/10) - The former Minerva Punjab FC midfielder played the defensive role for the Chennaiyin side alongside Bikramjit Singh and did well to stop plays developing in the midfield.

Jaime Gavilan (7.5/10) - The skipper for tonight, Gavilan was great in the midfield for Chennaiyin FC as he moved around the box making life difficult for the Mumbai defenders. He earned the penalty for the home side when he was brought down inside the box by Mehrajuddin Wadoo.

Rene Mihelic (7.5/10) - The Slovenian was the creative centre for the Chennaiyin FC side as he kept looking for the attackers with threatening passes. He scored from the spot for the home side after Wadoo had brought down Gavilan inside the box.

Jude Nworuh (6.5/10) - The Nigerian played on the flanks for the home side and was a threat with his pace. He made a lot of runs into the Mumbai box and had some efforts on the goal.

Mohd. Rafi (5.5/10) - The former Kerala Blasters FC man was the target man in the box for Chennaiyin FC and was always a threat during setpieces owing to his heading prowess.

Substitutes:

Anirudh Thapa (4.5/10) - The Indian international replaced Bikramjit Singh in the midfield as Gregory introduced fresh legs into the midfield.

Baoringdao Bodo (4/10) - The youngster replaced the goalscorer Rene Mihelic in the midfield for the final twenty minutes of the match.

Sanjay Balmuchu (3/10) - The former FC Goa man made his debut for the Chennaiyin side as he replaced the skipper Gavilan for the final five minutes of the match.

Mumbai City FC

Arindam Bhattacharya (6/10) - The keeping change saw Arindam come in place of Amrinder Singh between the sticks and he did well to save a couple of freekicks in the first half. He put in a solid performance and was unfortunate to concede the penalty after getting a hand to it.

Mehrajuddin Wadoo (6/10) - The right-back for Mumbai tonight played against his former side Chennaiyin and did well on the right flank. He made a lot of overlapping runs and combined well with players ahead of him to put in crosses into the box.

Lucian Goian (6/10) - The central defender was his usual reliable self at the back with crunching tackles and interceptions. He was always a threat from setpieces for the Islanders.

Marcio Rozario (5/10) - The Brazilian defender had a shaky night in the backline as he got caught on a couple of occasions by Chennai that led to chances on the goal. He was replaced at the hour mark as Guimares made personnel changes.

Raju Gaikwad (6/10) - The left-back for the away side was kept busy by the Chennai attack on the flank. He put in good crosses into the box from the wing for the Mumbai attackers and did well defensively as well.

Zakeer Mundampara (6/10) - The youngster played the defensive cover in the centre as he moved the ball from the back for Mumbai and did well to back up when breaking up plays. He was replaced at the hour mark by Achille Emana.

Gerson Vieira (6/10) - The Mumbai City FC skipper played alongside Zakeer as the defensive midfielder and was strong in his tackles in the centre.

Sanju Pradhan (6.5/10) - The former DSK Shivajians man played on the right side of the midfield and did well with his movement on the flank. He took the corners for the Mumbai side and put in good deliveries into the box.

Leo Costa (6.5/10) - The birthday boy played behind the attackers centrally and did well to move the ball around with his diagonal balls. He took a lot of shots from distance and tested the Chennaiyin keeper.

Everton Santos (6/10) - The Brazilian attacker played in and around the box and kept the Chennaiyin defence on their toes with his movement.

Balwant Singh (5.5/10) - The top-scorer for the Mumbai side played from the left side of the attack cutting into the box and had a lot of efforts on the goal. He was marked well by Thoi Singh on the flank and found it tough to impose himself.

Substitutes:

Achille Emana (4.5/10) - The Cameroonian midfielder was injected into the midfield at the hour mark and did well to have a couple of efforts on the goal but was unable to score.

Davinder Singh (4/10) - The young right-back replaced Zakeer Mundampara in the midfield as Guimaraes made a couple of changes at the hour mark.

Sehnaj Singh (3/10) - The midfielder came on to replace the injured Mehrajuddin Wadoo for the final fifteen minutes of the match.