Kerala Blasters FC 1–2 Mohun Bagan Player Ratings: Mohun Bagan’s Perseverance See Them Edge past Blasters to Semi-Finals

Its time for the quarter final clash in the Kalinga Super Cup where the two sides with giant fanbases Kerala Blasters and Mohun Bagan meet for what they call as the ‘El-Classico’ of Indian Football. Both teams had a very contrasting season so far as Mohun Bagan emerged victorious in the league securing a league double and Kerala Blasters struggling to keep themselves consistent.

But as far as both teams were concerned, the Super Cup was a new challenge, and the Blasters, with the tactics of their new gaffer David Catala, defeated the Defending Champions East Bengal for an undisputable 2-0 margin, which surely would’ve boosted the team for the match ahead. However, Mohun Bagan got a wild card entry into the quarter finals as their opponents for the pre-quarters, Churchill Brothers, withdrew from the tournament following dissatisfaction with the pairings.

Kerala Blasters entered the field with a heavy blow on their face as their captain, Adrian Luna, was not in the squad due to an injury. Mohun Bagan on the other hand fielded a very young squad relieving the first team players from their hectic schedule and with an aim to provide some minutes to the junior players. However the team had some notable names like Dheeraj, Deepak Tangiri, Ashique, Sahal, Glan Martinez and their seventh foreigner Nuno Reis – who will be making his debut as a Mariner.

Mohun Bagan chose a rather interesting 5-4-1 setup, showing a defensive approach to the game, and Blasters opted for the 4-4-2 formation, showing a rather offensive approach. At the end of the day, both teams played for nothing less than a win

Mohun Bagan initiated the proceedings, and Blasters, similar to the first game, kept possession and attacked through the flanks. They looked sharp and kept attacking. Mohun Bagan also played well, passing the ball side to side alongside making some accelerations from the likes of Suhail and Ashique, and the game looked almost balanced.

Bagan kept winning set pieces every couple of minutes, but they failed to convert them as the Montenegrin defenders, Milos and Lagator, stood tall. The Mohun Bagan backline was also held very strong as they put the Blasters players in the offside trap multiple times and were successful in keeping Noah Sadoui silent.

Out of nowhere, Salah made a run inside the box, tricking all the defenders and gave the ball to Sahal, who made it look very easy by making a turn and taking the shot, which went over Sachin and found the back of the net. Blasters after this moment became desperate to score, and they kept on attacking. They took some exceptional set pieces, but the final touch was lacking. Mohun Bagan went all out in defence and they kept their goal secure, and at half time the score was 0-1.

The second half began with Mohun Bagan attacking the likes of Salah, and Sachin made a spectacular save to prevent the opponents from scoring their second goal. But soon Ashique made a beautiful run and made a pass to Suhail, who doubled the delight for Bagan by scoring the second. Blasters desperately attacked, but somehow Dheeraj found his fingertips every time. Jesus Jiminez was very poor throughout as he missed multiple opportunities.

In the very end Sreekuttan scored a consolation for Blasters but the however was not sufficient to take them forward. At full time the score was 1-2 in favour of Mohun Bagan.

Here are the Kerala Blasters FC vs Mohun Bagan Player Ratings.

Kerala Blasters FC Player Ratings

GK – Sachin Suresh – 6/10

Was not challenged for a vast majority of the match except for the goal scored by Bagan where he had a minimal role to play as the ball came from point blank. Made a sharp save very early into the second half that could have added more problems.

LB – Naocha Singh – 5/10

As usual played very high upto the pitch providing his support in the attacking third. However in the attack and the defence he played below average and failed to win balls that came from the flankswhich was followed by his substitution in the second half.

CB – Milos Drincic – 5/10

Did well in the defence in the first minutes. However once the opponents got a rythm of the game his performance dropped. Lost balance multiple times and failed to mark Suhail that led to the second goal for Bagan.

CB – Bikash Yumnam – 5/10

Came in with high expectations as he had a brilliant display in the match against East Bengal. However he disappointed as he was unable to mark the opponents and make some real contriblutions in the game. Was succumbed by the moves of Ashique, Suhail and Sahal.

RB – Hormipam Ruivah – 5/10

Initiated some sliding challenges to win the ball from the opponents. Failed to mark Sahal and did not even show an intent to follow him, and that led to the opponent finding the ball behind the net. Made an unexpected shot from the right wing that could have been a potential goal. Did not mark Ashique in his run, which led to them scoring again.

LM – Mohammed Aimen – 5/10

Made a solid run from the left and took a curler that missed the goal by just a few inches. Tried to make some crosses from the flanks, but was not successful. Had an average performance while coming to attack, and for that reason, was subbed off by the coach.

CM – Dusan Lagator – 5/10

Though he missed some balls in the midfield that created some trouble for his team, he recovered the ball properly. Timed some tackles to perfection to keep the ball away from danger. However, he kept losing balls again and again,n which invited danger as Mohun Bagan players properly exploited those opportunities.

CM – Vibin Mohanan – 5/10

Was key in pressing the opponents whenever they kept possession. Was bad at passing as almost every pass he made to Noah were heavy and went to no mans land. Failed to keep the ball as he gifted the ball multiple times to the opponents.

RW – Noah Sadoui – 7/10

He was silenced by the opponent’s defence as none of the long balls reached him, and if they reached, a large proportion of them were snatched away from him by the defenders. Made some long-range attempts, but most of them were carried out easily by Dheeraj.

Made some eye-catching dribbles from set pieces and confused the opponents. Made some stepovers that created some troubles; however, there was nobody to support him in the attacking third. Did his best individually, but the team’s poor performance meant that his contributions were low.

CF – Danish Farooq – 5/10

Was involved in multiple duels and was successful in many of them. However after winning them his delivery was terrible. Minimal contributions in the attack meant that Danish had a different role in the second half. However his inability to prove in that role meant that he was called off by the coach in the midst of second half.

CF – Jesus Jiminez – 4/10

Connected some crosses that came from Noah, but struggled to control them due to the pressure in the box. Did not make his presence felt as he failed to make any contributions to his team. Missed multiple sitters that cost Kerala’s future in the tournament. His scoring boot was missing somewhere. He was seen visibly frustrated as he missed multiple open goal chances.

Sub – Kwame Peprah – 6/10

Sub – Sreekuttan- 7/10

Scored the consolation goal for Blasters.

Sub – Saheef – 6/10

Sub – Aiban – 6/10

Sub – Ebindas – 6/10

Coach – David Catala – 4/10

Asked his players to stay calm and pass the ball around which they did in the first minutes. However he failed to regroup his team once the opponents found rythm. Luna’s absence and teams inability to communicate and coordinate led to his team being in the losing side. Later in the post-match press conference, he stated, “All the players are not 100% ..In this period the mind is not here it’s already in holiday so its impossible to compete.”

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Mohun Bagan Player Ratings

GK – Dheeraj Singh – 8/10

Stood like a rock and saved all the blinders that came on target. Made some stunning dives and blocks to keep the attacks from the Blasters, especially Noah, away. It was a bit of luck as Jesus missed all the chances he got and did not create trouble for him.

LB – Saurabh Bhanwala – 7/10

Defended Aimen well in the early stages of the match. Kept his eyes on the ball and kept Noah away from the left flank. Gave his blood and soul for his team to keep the ball away from his fortress. In short, he marshalled the defence.

CB – Abhishek Suryavanshi – 6.5/10

Had a great day at office as he was key in covering the attackers of the opponents. Was involved in multiple tackles and interceptions and was key in clearing the ball and blocking them whenever Blasters made some confusion inside the box.

CB – Dippendu Biswas – 6.5/10

Made some beautiful runs in the attacking third as a follow-up to the set pieces. Made some heavy challenges and was seen playing physical, and was key in making interceptions and tackles.

CB – Nuno Reis – 7/10

Though he played his last professional match exactly one year ago in April 2024, the gap did not stop him from performing well under pressure. His exposure and experience came in handy as he stood as a leader of the pack guarding the goal. His height came as an advantage as he was key in clearing all the corners and other crosses that came from the opponents inside the box. Properly marked Peprah

RB – Amandeep – 7.5/10

He was crucial in blocking the attacks from the flank. Had one of the best matches of his career as he threw his body in front of the ball whenever Noah made attempts. Made a goal-line save in the final minutes, keeping the clean sheet.

CM – Suhail Ahmed Bhatt – 7.5/10

Was active throughout the match and kept knocking on the opponent’s goal. Scored a goal in the second half to win the match for his team.

CM – Deepak Tangri – 7/10

Played the captain’s role in the best possible manner and stood strong as a leader. Communicated properly and coordinated well. Motivated the young talents to show resilience that bore fruit. Controlled the midfield and trapped the Blasters players completely.

LW – Ashique Kuruniyan – 8/10

Was seen everywhere on the pitch, and it seemed like he had a score to settle against the Blasters. Made some accelerated runs from the very first whistle and this acceleration was important for the team as both of them proved key in the goals.

RW – Sahal Abdul Samad – 7.5/10

Beautifully positioned inside the penalty box to receive the pass from Salah to make a turn and take a shot over the keeper, registering his name in the scoresheet against his former side. Made some dancing moves in the final minutes of the game to secure his team the victory. He was playing with the opponent’s mind, and the mental game helped his team as the opponents kept losing balls.

CF – Salah – 8/10

Made a smooth run from the right flank inside the box to provide the ball to Sahal which marked the first goal for his team. Mounted pressure on Blasters very early in the second half as he made a powerful shot which was somehow saved by Sachin. Was a live wire throughout the game and was key in crafting play in the attacking third. He was named as the man of the match for his performance.

Sub – Glan Martinez – 6.5/10

Coach – Bastab Roy – 8/10

Did not fail to motivate the squad as his team pressed right from minute one. Did some good homework as he properly trapped Noah by keeping a 5 men defence. Kept adding pressure to the opponents and scored twice which earned a hard fought victiry for his team.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match is Salah.

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