Odisha FC midfielder Isak Vanlalruatfela, known as the "pocket rocket," has been awarded the Emerging Player of the Month for February 2023 for his performances in the Juggernauts' unbeaten month of February in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23, where he scored two goals and provided one assist across the month over four games.
The 21-year-old was impressive in Odisha FC's win over second-placed Hyderabad FC when he scored the opening goal and was clinical against Chennaiyin FC, scoring a goal and providing an assist against the Marina Machans, which helped Odisha FC make strides towards the top six places in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23.
The majority of experts among the 15 have selected Isak Ralte to come out on top in the month of February. Isak is the first Odisha FC player to win the Emerging Player of the Month award.
Isak has been with Odisha FC since 2020 and has featured in nine ISL matches in the ongoing season, scoring two goals and providing two assists, making that a total of four goal involvements for the Juggernauts. Ralte has since become a key figure in Josep Gombau's team, which has helped the young midfielder improve his game.
The head coach, Gombau, was all praise for the youngsters' performances after their game against FC Goa expressed his delight when he said, "He (Ralte) is a player that has a lot of potential and can help us. We are happy to have him here, he is a nice boy who wants to work hard and wants to learn. I think Odisha FC has a good winger for the coming years."
Odisha FC, known for their comeback heroics in the current season of the ISL, will certainly look to perform strongly in the playoffs if they make the cut. They have won nine games and drawn seven, losing only once at home in the 2022-23 season. With Ralte coming up with the goods, the head coach will look for more firepower from his midfielder and continue with his fine run of form after winning the Emerging Player of the Month award.
Ralte has become the fourth recipient of this award after Mumbai City FC's Apuia (January), Mehtab Singh (October), and East Bengal FC's Naorem Mahesh Singh (November).
( With inputs from ANI )
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