It was a rather quiet start to ISL 2017, between FC Pune City and the Delhi Dynamos, at the Balewadi Stadium, on Wednesday. Delhi Dynamos had a good amount of possession in the first half, but both the teams failed to convert the chances they got. The second half was a high-scoring affair, with 5 goals being scored.
Marcelinho was one of the players to watch out for, but the Brazilian was tightly marked by the Delhi defence. It was the young Lallianzuala Chhangte, who stole the show on the night.
Here, we at Sportskeeda rate the players from the game.
FC Pune City
Kamaljit Singh - 6/10: Kamaljit made some good saves but was helpless in all three Delhi goals. The Indian keeper collected the crosses well, and punched the ball away in set pieces.
Gurtej Singh - 6/10: Gurtej was successful in keeping Guyon quiet for most of the game. He performed his defensive duties well on the right side.
Rafael López Gómez - 5.5/10: Rafel was energetic throughout the game but failed to neutralise the Delhi attack. However, his weakness in positioning and tracking back exposed the defense most of the time.
Sarthak Golui - 6/10: The young Indian was good individually, and had put in some pretty good tackles in the game. He helped his team get the ball forward, and assisted Alfaro for their first goal.
Lalchhuanmawia Fanai - 5/10: Fanai had a poor game, as he failed to stop the Delhi attack. Outrun by Chhangte on most occasions, he failed to keep up with his pace and exposed the left side most of the time. The left-back had a game to forget.
Marcos Tébar - 6.5/10: Tebar had a good first half, winning the ball and getting some good chances to score. He scored the second goal for Pune in the dying moments of the game. The defensive midfielder could have done better in controlling the midfield.
Jonatan Lucca - 6/10: Lucca got some good chances in the first half, only to be denied by Delhi keeper Albino. Substituted in the second half, Lucca was frustrated not to convert the chances he got. Could have done better at holding possession and converting the chances he got.
Rohit Kumar - 5.5/10: The Indian midfielder barely made any impact on the game, and was substituted in the second half. He failed to control the ball keep possession.
Jewel Raja Shaikh - N/A: The Indian midfielder suffered a groin injury during the pre-match training and had to be substituted just after the kickoff.
Marcelinho 6/10: Marked for most of the game by the Delhi defence Marcelinho couldn't make much impact on the game. Created some good chances in the first half but was quiet for most of the second half. The Brazilian could not bring his form from last season, as the Delhi defence marked him tight with hard tackles.
Emiliano Alfaro 6.5/10: The Uruguayan was set up well by Marchelinho, but missed the chance with Albino in the goal. He scored the only goal in the game, Alfaro could have done better at converting the chances he got.
Substitutes:
Baljit Sahni - 6.5/10
Diego Carlos - 5/10
Kean Lewis - 5/10
Delhi Dynamos FC
Albino Gomes - 7/10: Rated highly in the player drafts, Albino proved his worth in the game. He stretched on both sides to make wonderful saves on many occasions during the game. He was not afraid of charging against the opponent to get hold of the ball. Could have done better to prevent Pune from scoring, though.
Pritam Kotal - 7/10: The experienced young Indian right-back was effective throughout the game in neutralising the Pune attack. Kotal won back the ball for Delhi on many occasions and kept Marcelinho and Baljit in check. He also helped Delhi in taking the balls forward and putting pretty good crosses into the box. Kotal also created the third goal for Matias Mirabaje.
Pratik Chaudhari - 6/10: Pratik had a decent game in neutralising the Pune attack. A mix-up with Chichero resulted in the goal for Pune City. He was confident in going for tackles and made some good clearances.
Gabriel Cichero - 6.5/10: The Colombian did well throughout the game to neutralise Marchelinho's threat. With strong tackle and aerial ability, he was a big presence in the Delhi defence.
Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte - 6.5/10: The Indian left-back had a good coordination with young Chhangte in moving the ball forward and helping the attack and creating a couple of good chances for the attackers. Defensively, Ralte could have done better in defence.
Paulo Henrique Dias da Cruz - 6.5/10: Scored the first goal for Delhi from Chhangte's cross. Paulinho was good at maintaining possession and taking the ball forward.
Vinit Rai - 6/10: The young Indian had a good game in the centre of the park. Vinit did well to win the ball and control the midfield for Delhi.
Matías Mirabaje - 7/10: Matias had a decent first half, getting a few good chances on goal but missed with poor shots. In the second half, he was more composed and scored the third goal from a Pritam Kotal pass.
Lallianzuala Chhangte - 9/10: Always troubled Pune City on the right side with his pace and precise crosses. With quick and tricky movements, he always troubled Fanai. Chhangte's cross from the left wing resulted in the first goal by Paulinho. He then scored the second with a wonderful individual run.
Guyon Fernandez - 6/10: The Dutchman had a quiet game against Pune. He lacked pace and was kept in check by Fanai most of the time. Guyon was substituted in the second half after a poor game.
Kalu Uche - 5.5/10: Uche got some good chances to score, but poor finishing kept him out of the scoresheet. He was mostly quiet in the game, without much involvement.
Substitutes:
Jeroen Lumu - 610
Edu Moya - 5.5/10
Romeo Fernandes - 5/10