ISL 2018/19, Delhi Dynamos 3-2 Bengaluru FC: Hits and Flops - Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has a rare off day

Having already secured the qualification to the playoffs round, Bengaluru FC entered this game with zero pressure. Carles Cuadrat's men did not put in a good shift against Delhi Dynamos who won 3-2 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. The hosts deserved to bag all three points against last year's Indian Super League finalists.

Both the sides were cautious about their approach, but it was the Dynamos who opened the scoring through their striker Ulises Davila. It was simple tap-in for the Mexican striker who signed for the club in January. The lead lasted for just ten minutes when Boithang Haokip slotted the ball into the back of the net when Francisco Dorronsoro mishandled the ball.

Sunil Chhetri, who came on as a substitute, scored within ten minutes to help Bengaluru take the lead for the first time in the game. Former Bengaluru FC man Daniel Lalhlimpuia did the remaining damage to take the game away from the visitors. He scored twice within four minutes, thanks to two howlers from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

There were plenty of standout individual performances in this game. In this article, we shall look at the five hits and flops in this goal fest at Delhi.

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#1 Hit - Daniel Lalhlimpuia

When Delhi were not able to find men inside the penalty box, Daniel Lalhlimpuia's presence came to limelight. The Indian International was making frequent runs to unsettle Bengaluru FC's defence and caused havoc since he was introduced by Josep Gombau in the second half.

When the hosts broke away through a counter-attack, Narayan Das produced a peach of a cross to find Lalhlimpuia in the six-yard box. The 21-year-old shot straight at Gurpreet Singh, but the Bengaluru FC shot-stopper's poor fist meant the ball ended in the behind of the net.

When Delhi's number 14 shot the ball for the second time, it took a timely deflection off Serran to beat Gurpreet Singh in the near post. With this fantastic contribution, Lalhlimpuia was rightly awarded man of the match award as Delhi secure their third win of the season.

#2 Flop - Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Sandhu had a rare bad day at the office [Image: ISL]

Very rarely does Gurpreet Singh Sandhu feature in the flop list. Bengaluru FC shot-stopper did himself no favours against Delhi Dynamos by committing two howlers which should have been dealt with properly.

When Lalhlimpuia shot the ball inside the six-yard box, Gurpreet made a complete mess of the situation by mishandling the ball. Since he misjudged the pace of the ball, the ball ended in the back of the net. It was an unexpected error from someone of his calibre.

Even though the third goal cannot be his fault entirely, he should have acted promptly to stop the shot from the Delhi striker. When Lalhlimpuia decided to shoot the ball, it took a tiny deflection off Albert Serran to see the net bulging. Even after the deviation, there was enough time for Gurpreet to get enough fist and parry the ball to a safer place.

#3 Hit - Vinit Rai

Vinit Rai marshalled the midfield well [Image: ISL]

Vinit Rai was the best performer in the middle of the park. The Delhi Dynamos midfielder totally deranged Dimas Delgado and Harmanjot Khabra to feed the forwards and ease the burden on the defenders.

He controlled the game very well and combined with Nanda Kumar, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Ulises Davila to produce scintillating attacking plays. When Bengaluru stocked up in one side to put pressure, Vinit had the tendency to unlock their midfield and penetrate the ball to the attack and feed the forward line.

Since he is blessed with spectacular passing ability, he was able to shift lines to expose the Bengaluru full-backs. The 21-year-old has shown enough maturity to start for India week in week out.

His movements with the ball and without the ball make him one of the most well-rounded young midfielders in the country at the moment. There is no doubt that he is a player to keep an eye for years to come.

#4 Flop - Xisco Hernandez

Xisco Hernandez cut a frustrating figure in the midfield [Image: ISL]

When Xisco Fernandez was signed, there were lots of expectations from the Spaniard who was known for his attacking prowess. But, it has not gone according to the script as the 29-year-old has been forced to sit out on the bench more often than not.

Even though one must not blame one player for the overall display, results have not gone in Carles Cuadrat's side's way when the attacking midfielder has started for the club this campaign. That was the story against Delhi Dynamos when he was struggling to overcome the likes of Vinit Rai and Marcos Tebar who were the defensive midfielders for the opponents.

It was Vinit Rai who put in an excellent performance to take the game away from Bengaluru FC midfielders. All three goals from Delhi were from counter attacks and that was down to the visitors' midfield being overrun easily.

Erik Paartalu is away injured and Xisco Fernandez will be hoping to rescue a spot as he is versatile enough to play anywhere in the midfield.

#5 Hit - Nanda Kumar

Nanda Kumar (middle) celebrates Davila's goal [Image: ISL]

Nanda Kumar was operating through the right and gave headaches to Nishu Kumar throughout the first half. During the build-up to the first goal, Nanda Kumar's cross was not parried away to safety area Gurpreet who saw the ball inside the back of the net within few seconds.

When Delhi were up and running in the second half, Nanda Kumar produced a scintillating solo run and cut inside to shoot the ball from outside the box. It was a very well timed shot, but Gurpreet made sure about getting enough power to shove it away.

In the second half, he mainly operated through the left wing which gave him enough time and space to exploit the visitors' defence. His powerful run was the reason for the third goal in the second half. With the ability to play anywhere across the attack, Nanda is an automatic starter in this side.

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