Kerala Blasters FC 3-1 Mumbai City FC: Player Ratings as Alvaro Vazquez's double sinks Islanders

Kerala Blasters FC put in a fantastic performance to beat Mumbai City FC 3-1 in the ISL earlier tonight.

Sahal Abdul Samad opened the scoring for the Tuskers with a good finish following a mazy run. Alvaro Vazquez doubled their advantage after winning a foul from Mourtada Fall in the box and converting the resulting spot-kick.

The Islanders began the second half well but goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz gifted the ball to Vazquez, who scored the Kerala Blasters' third goal. Substitute Diego Mauricio then won a penalty and converted it for Mumbai City late on but it was a mere consolation.

The win means the Tuskers now need just a point to qualify for the semi-finals while the Islanders' fate is no longer in their hands.

Here are the player ratings from the match:

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Kerala Blasters

Prabhsukhan Gill - 6/10

Gill made a couple of decent saves and also claimed a few crosses in a fairly routine performance.

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Sanjeev Stalin - 6/10

Stalin was subdued going forward but put in a decent shift in defense, recording a clearance and a block while winning three ground duels.

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Marko Leskovic - 6.5/10

Leskovic was solid at the heart of the Kerala Blasters defense, making five clearances and winning four aerial duels. Mumbai City struggled to trouble the centre-back, who looked assured on and off the ball.

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Hormipam Ruivah - 6.5/10

Ruivah was unfortunate to concede a penalty that seemed quite soft on first viewing. He did well to hold his side's lead late on, recording seven clearances and an interception.

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Sandeep Singh - 6.5/10

Sandeep Singh was a menace going forward and latched onto the ball in some good areas but made the wrong decision at times. The Kerala Blasters right-back also made two tackles and an interception in defense.

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Adrian Luna - 7/10

It almost seems like Luna just doesn't have any bad games at this point. He didn't get on the scoresheet but still had an excellent outing, recording three key passes and even hitting the woodwork. The Kerala Blasters' talisman also won eight of his 11 duels and made two clearances, two interceptions and a tackle.

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Lalthathanga Khawlhring - 6.5/10

Khawlhring was lucky not to concede a penalty for a high boot on Mumbai City's Brad Inman but was solid beyond that point. His work in the middle allowed the attackers to flourish.

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Ayush Adhikari - 6.5/10

Adhikari enjoyed another decent outing and provided his defense with ample protection against an iffy Islanders frontline. The midfielder won three ground duels and made a clearance.

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Sahal Abdul Samad - 6.5/10

This game once again showed glimpses of what Abdul Samad is capable of. He latched onto a loose ball to wriggle his way around three defenders to score Kerala Blasters' opener but was dealt with well after that.

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Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 6.5/10

Pereyra Diaz didn't have much luck in front of goal but still combined extremely well with Vazquez and Luna at times. He recorded four key passes and sent in two successful crosses but had no shots on target.

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Alvaro Vazquez - 8.5/10

Vazquez was close to his brilliant best in this match to put Kerala Blasters on the brink of a top-four finish. His quick feet saw him win a penalty, which he dispatched with aplomb. He also latched onto a mistake from Nawaz with a cushioned finish that sealed the game.

The Spaniard had four shots on target as Mumbai City FC struggled to deal with him all night.

View the today's ISL match result here.

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Substitutes

Rahul KP - 6/10

Rahul came on for Abdul Samad in the 72nd minute. He added more energy to the Blasters' attack and helped them see out the win.

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Prasanth Karuthadathkuni - N/A

Karuthadathkuni replaced Adhikari in the 86th minute. He had just two touches of the ball and didn't really impact the match.

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Chencho Gyeltshen - N/A

Gyeltshen came on for Vazquez in the 90th minute. He charged forward well but ultimately didn't impact the game much.

Mumbai City's Diego Mauricio celebrates scoring against Kerala Blasters. [Credits: ISL]

Mumbai City FC

Mohammad Nawaz - 5/10

Nawaz couldn't have done much about the first two goals but made an absolute howler for Vazquez's second by miskicking a risky back-pass. He pulled off an incredible save to deny Adrian Luna after that but the damage was already done.

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Mandar Rao Desai - 5.5/10

Desai hardly troubled the Kerala Blasters defense going forward. He made one clearance in defense before being substituted at half-time.

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Mehtab Singh - 6/10

Mehtab Singh put in a decent shift, making two clearances, a block and two tackles. He couldn't do much about any of the goals.

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Mourtada Fall - 6/10

Fall conceded a needless penalty to hand Kerala Blasters the initiative and also sent a dangerous back-pass to Nawaz for the third goal. Barring those two moments, he tried to hold Mumbai City together, recording four interceptions, three clearances and two tackles.

He also won 10 of his 13 aerial duels and should've scored from a Chhangte cross but disappointingly headed the ball over the bar.

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Rahul Bheke - 6/10

Bheke did a decent job on defense and was a non-factor going forward as the Kerala Blasters defense shut him down.

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Brad Inman - 6.5/10

Inman should've had a penalty in the first half and was Mumbai City's biggest threat from midfield. He laid out four key passes but his teammates couldn't convert them.

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Lalengmawia Ralte - 6/10

Ralte worked hard but was outnumbered at times, which reduced his impact on the game. He did well defensively, making four tackles and three clearances.

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Bipin Singh - 6/10

Bipin Singh was a threat in the first half but slowly faded away in the second period.

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Cassio Gabriel - 6/10

Gabriel had yet another below-par performance for Mumbai City FC. He did record one key pass but often made the wrong decision in promising areas and also botched a fairly easy clearance for Abdul Samad's goal.

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Lallianzuala Chhangte - 6/10

Chhangte tried hard and should've had an assist but Fall headed over from his free-kick. The Mumbai City winger recorded two key passes but his decision-making in the final third still needs some fine-tuning.

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Igor Angulo - 5/10

Angulo couldn't keep himself onside on numerous occasions. He was caught offside five times and was made to lament it along with a lack of service. The Mumbai City FC forward had no shots on target before being substituted.

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Substitutes

Vikram Pratap Singh - 6/10

Pratap Singh replaced Desai at half-time. He added energy and verve to the Mumbai City attack but lacked the final product.

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Diego Mauricio - 7/10

Mauricio came on for Angulo in the 67th minute. He won a fairly fortunate penalty and then converted it. He was a much bigger threat than Angulo.

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Raynier Fernandes - 6/10

Fernandes replaced Gabriel in the 84th minute. He attempted a couple of balls into the box but they didn't amount to much.