ISL 2015: Chennaiyin FC's Khabra, Jeje and Ralte outshone the foreign stars on opening night

Chennai: Chennaiyin FC may have gone down 3-2 against defending champions Atletico de Kolkata, but their performance – which saw them take 18 shots, keep 53 percent of the ball and create a plethora of chances with some incisive passing – deserved at least a point in the Indian Super League opener at the Marina Arena.

Three Indian players - Harmanjot Khabra, Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte and Jeje Lalpekhlua - were in the thick of things in an entertaining match. All of them ended up on the losing side, but they were clearly the best players on the pitch and did much better than their more illustrious foreigners.

Harmanjot Khabra: A few eyebrows were raised when Marco Materazzi said in the pre-match press conference that Khabra was good enough to play in Italy. At the end of 90 minutes on Saturday though, it seems there was some truth to Materazzi’s words. If Khabra regularly plays like he did against Atletico, then there’s no reason to doubt his credentials for a team in the Serie B or the Lega Pro (third division in Italy).

Khabra played like a dream in the ISL opener, operating as a deep-lying playmaker and completely controlling midfield. There was a moment when he pulled the ball behind to sell a marker and then quickly nipped past the onrushing Borja Fernandes with the ease that only a player at the top of his game shows. Khabra also made the most number of interceptions on the night (4).

Khabra was promoted to captain of East Bengal in the I-League last year and it’s clear why. All his passes were neat, simple and timed with perfection to create space for Chennaiyin. He shackled Borja Fernandes to reduce Atletico’s most influential player to a spectator for most of the match.

Khabra shifted to left back when striker Balwant Singh was introduced for Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte and even here he impressed. When Atletico’s Iain Hume and Jaime Gavilan pressed him on the flank, forcing him to lose the ball, Khabra held both off, won it back and calmly played it to safe possession. Simply brilliant.

After the match, Firstpost asked him how he rated his personal game. “If the team loses, it doesn’t matter how well I play.” Typical answer, but Khabra’s versatile play was quite a sight.

Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte: Given that this was the first time Ralte was playing for an ISL club, (Royal Wahingdoh had not released him last season) the diminutive left-back must have done a lot of things right in pre-season to merit a place in Materazzi’s starting XI. He didn’t put a foot wrong on his ISL debut and such was his relentless running and tackling that he forced Hume to change flanks in the second half. It was after this change that Hume, free from Ralte’s stifling shadow marking until then, managed to set up Valmiro Rocha for Atletico’s second goal.

Ralte’s best quality on show was the way he waited for the attacker to make a move. Not once did he dive in without being absolutely sure of winning the tackle and if not for Elano’s reluctance to spread the ball out wide, he could have got in more than just one peach of a cross which found Jeje Lalpekhlua.

Chennaiyin FC looked soft in the middle of defence, but their wingbacks (Abhishek Das was also brilliant) look sorted.

Jeje Lalpekhlua: Scorer of Chennaiyin’s equaliser, Jeje made a bright start to his second ISL season with Chennaiyin. This time, unlike last season, he dropped deep and was included in a number of interchanges with Fikru Teferra and Elano. Jeje seems to have worked on his physique in the past year and the regular exposure to international football since Stephen Constantine returned as India coach has also helped.

The increase in strength and muscle has helped his presence in the box and he won three headers inside the box – all of which could have been better directed towards goal. But more impressive was his close control and sharp passing in tight areas in the final third.

Once Fikru was replaced by lively Stiven Mendoza, Jeje’s involvement increased as Chennaiyin started playing the ball on the ground and made fluid transitions. His snapshot won the penalty for Elano and his two layoffs, for Raphael Augusto and Mendoza could have gone in on another day. Jeje scored just four goals in 13 matches last season, but it’s clear that he has more in his tank. Some more composure, and he can be the fox in the box Chennaiyin (and India) need.

The writer tweets @TheFalseNo9