#5 The big guns stay quiet
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In what was perhaps the biggest positive for Roca on the night, none of Sunil Chhetri or Eugeneson Lyngdoh will be discussed too much. Both put in a shift and played their roles, but it was not quite the dominating, enforcing display expected out of either.
Lyngdoh’s passing was off tonight. He got himself into wonderful positions and mucked up from there as he chose the wrong option, overhit the pass or played it straight to a defender. The fact that he still did create a fair few opportunities for Udanta and Daniel are a testament to his quality.
Chhetri too wasn’t as influential as we know he can be. Starting on the left wing, he drifted in-field and tried to act as the creative force. He had a whole lot of splendid touches in the game, but none really forced the pace or threatened Shillong. It is a rare occurrence when Chhetri does not leave a match with his stamp on it, but this was one such day.
He had a fabulous chance late in the first half and looked to have taken it brilliantly with a curling effort towards the far post but the woodwork denied him. But Bengaluru will not complain. Both their talismen will not have too many quieter games than this one. Despite that, the comfort with which they won was a huge positive for the defending champions.
