East Bengal FC 5-0 South United FC Player Ratings : Mahesh Singh Rated 8/10 as East Bengal Start Their Durand Cup Campaign With a 5 Star Performance

East Bengal faced off against the debutants South United for the inaugural match of the 134th edition of the Durand Cup. East Bengal FC vs South United FC encounter took place at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on 23rd July at 5:30 pm IST, and after a thrilling encounter, East Bengal emerged victorious.

East Bengal got things underway, and it was the hosts who were seen having an upper edge. East Bengal were constantly attacking and kept pressing the opponents. Edmund had the first real chance, where he took a shot which went past the keeper, but to his disappointment, David was standing in the goalline, blinded by the referee. The ball hit David, and this kept the hosts away from breaking the deadlock. In the 10th minute, Chunga opened the accounts for East Bengal by taking a powerful blinder from outside the box after winning a clearance from the opponents. From then East Bengal kept attacking aggressively, but Nishanth and Noel stood strong. Just ahead of the break, Edmund won a penalty which was taken by Saul Crespo, who doubled the delight for East Bengal, and at half time it was 2-0 in favour of East Bengal. Today East Bengal match result was 5:0. In the second half, the visitors were defending as a unit and hardly made an attempt to attack. Everything looked decent for South United, but in the late minutes, Oscar Bruzon made some substitutions which changed the track of the game. Bipin Singh, Diamantakos, and Mahesh Singh found the back of the net in quick succession to seal the victory for East Bengal 5-0. Here are the East Bengal FC vs South United FC Player Ratings.

East Bengal FC Player Ratings

Here are the East Bengal player ratings.

Goalkeeper

Debjit Majumder - 6/10

Debjit was having a great time in the goal, as he was not at all challenged by the opponents in the first half. The game was so one-sided that he had less than a dozen touches in the first half.

Defenders

Mohammed Rakip - 6.5/10

Rakip was seen more or less contributing towards the attack rather than defence. He was pretty decent in the match. Nothing extraordinary, not terrible. Won balls in the flank and delivered them to his teammates in the attack, and did not make many mistakes.

Martand Raina - 6/10

Martand Raina, the latest addition to the squad, attempted to provide some through balls into the attacking third; however, most of them did not find his teammates. Was not at all challenged in the defence, and as a result, he moved higher in the pitch to support the midfielders.

Anwar Ali - 6/10

Had almost no pressure throughout the match as the opponents brought their attacking initiatives to the attacking third. Anwar was hardly seen in the match, making moves and having a relatively comfortable day. Was subbed off in the second half, probably as a precautionary measure.

Lalchungnunga - 7.5/10

Nunga was seen in the attack during multiple instances as the opponents failed to create any attacks. In the 12th minute, he won a ball from outside the box after a clearance from the opponents and took a powerful shot which hit the crossbar and found the back of the net to provide East Bengal with the opener. He single-handedly numbed the opponent's left flank and defended Mustafa well.

Midfielders

Saul Crespo - 6.5/10

Crespo, on his birthday, did not have a fruitful start. Attempted some crosses, which to his dismay went to no man's land. Whenever he got chances at goal, he was unable to capitalise on any of them. In the 38th minute, he found the back of the net off a penalty won by Edmund. From then on, he made some combination play and was decent.

Mahesh Singh - 8/10

Mahesh was essentially the playmaker for East Bengal. Provided some crosses inside the box, attempted some shots at goal, and had a great performance overall. Combined well with his teammates and crafted some dangerous attacks to test the opponents in quick succession. Whenever the defence opened up, Mahesh was the first one to attempt at goal. In the dying minutes, he found the back of the net after a long series of attempts.

Mohammed Rashid - 6.5/10

The debutant Rashid enjoyed a lot of free space in the midfield, and he made some of his moves to the goal. He was seen dominating the midfield with his physicality and did not allow the opponents to go past him. Took a freekick, but it went way wide.

PV Vishnu - 6.5/10

Vishnu was a pivotal figure for East Bengal in the left flank. He was seen making some good runs in the attacking half and providing some pinpoint crosses inside the box. He also provided some key passes into the final third to mount pressure on the opponents, which forced errors.

Edmund Lalrindika- 7.5/10

Edmuna was wonderful in the game as the player was seen constantly attacking from the very first minute with much vigour. Came really close to scoring, but David, his teammate, stood as a block to prevent him from scoring. Won a penalty in the 37th minute and was unselfish as he gave Crespo a chance to score.

Forward

David Lalhlansanga - 5.5/10

David had a nightmare beginning. In the 10th minute, when Edmund took a shot, it went past the keeper towards to goal. However, David, who was on the goal-line, stood as a block to the attempt. Later, though David attempted to attack, none of the attempts found the back of the net, adding to his frustration.

Substitutes

Jeakson Singh - 6/10

Diamantakos - 7/10

Was desperate enough to score but was unable to do so because of the tight marking. In the 88th minute, he found his name in the score sheet after taking a free kick which the keeper failed to hold.

Nandha Kumar - 6/10

Played in the flanks and created some chances for his team from the wings.

Bipin Singh - 7/10

The star-studded player came in as a substitute and made his mark in the game in the 79th minute by scoring the third goal for his team.

Provat Lakra - 6/10

The defender did pretty well in the minutes played. Was seen miscommunicating in one instance, but did well later to prevent danger.

Manager

Oscar Bruzon - 7/10

The coach had rather a relaxed day in the office. Got the expected result, was able to experiment with the new signings, and had a positive day. Made some great substitutions and got a top victory.

South United FC Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Nishanth N - 6/10

Was constantly tested by the East Bengal players. Made a brilliant save in the very first minute of the game. Was just a spectator when East Bengal scored the first goal. However, later he was seen playing solid, making some crucial blocks. In the dying minutes of the game was the only time he was seen fumbling, but till then, he stood strong.

Defenders

Abdul Salha Sheergojri - 4.5/10

Salha, in the 37th minute, misjudged a tackle as he overstretched and hit the knee of Edmund to provide the opponents a penalty, paving the way for their second goal. Did not have a performance which he would have expected to display.

Miling Negi - 5/10

The player was pretty average in the game and failed to create any significant impact on the game.

Noel S - 5.5/10

Defended very well whenever the opponents tried to cross inside the box from the wings. Even when the team was trailing, the player maintained the same level of dedication, and Noel was probably the only player who had a decent performance.

Rowan James - 5/10

Rowan just had an average performance in the first half. In the second half, when Diamantakos came in, he was given the responsibility of shadowing him, which he did in a pretty decent manner.

Midfielders

Huzafah Ahmad Dar - 5/10

Had no involvement throughout the game and was not able to contribute meaningfully.

Farhan Fayaz - 5/10

Made some interceptions, but that was just a minuscule number compared to the number of times he was made a mockery of by the opponents.

Ankiet Panchal - 5/10

Aniket was one of the experienced guys in the squad. However, this experience did not come in handy in the match. Only notable contribution of the player was a free kick taken from outside the box, which the keeper was able to save easily.

Talib Nazir - 4.5/10

Talib took the free kick in the 28th minute, which was probably the only shot taken by South United in the first half. He was seen as a lot physically involved in the game and made some dangerous moves, which could have physically harmed the opponents.

Mustafa Shaik - 5/10

Initiated some attacks from the wings, but the East Bengal players prevailed over the player. Lack of support in the attacking third also meant that his moves were impactless. Provided some long passes to mark some of the rare attacking attempts of his team. Was subbed off after the break.

Forward

Makakmayum Daniyal- 4.5/10

Daniyal had almost no contribution in the first half as he failed to challenge the opponent backline even once. The only time he was involved was when he won a foul in the attacking half in the 28th minute. Later, the player had an impact on the game.

Substitutes

Sherpa - 5/10

Manager

Kaja Mohideen - 5/10

The coach got pretty much the expected result. Had a great match when the team's strength is compared. His boys showed a good display of action. In the second half, the team did not concede until the final minutes, and the manager can keep his head held high for that.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match is Mahesh Singh Naorem.