Delhi’s wave sweeps the magic off Mumbai

Unstoppable Delhi strode like a collossous to sink the Mumbai Magicians’ ship on their own dockyard today at Mahindra Hockey Stadium, which is located ironically an area called Reclamation Bay. As it met its fourth continuous loss, Bombay has to reclaim its prestige in the remaining 8 matches.

When much-maligned Sandeep Singh struck three goals, the first one from the first quarter in the first penalty corner the team got, a cakewalk was expected for the host, but the visitors, with a sharp frontline, had other ideas – to undo any magic.

In the end, the Delhi team walked heads held high, with a fluent 6-4 score.

Hockey fans, who have been devoid of much goals in the HHIL have at last seen a flurry of them today, and must have been a satisfied lot today.

The game oscillated between the two teams as they fought for superiority from the word go. However, Waveriders’ fitness and sustaining pressure skills swung the match in their favor.

During the first quarter, it looked like an even game as the scores remained leveled at 1-1.

However, in the second quarter, Charlesworth’s boys looked weak in the midfield, and with their defense gave huge cracks, Delhi pumped in two goals to make it 3-1 at lemon break.

Into the half time, having lost their all previous three encounters and down by 2 goals, anyone’s guess would have been that Mumbai are on for the fourth straight loss without much resistance.

But it wasn’t meant to be so. Third quarter witnessed high-class, attack followed by counter-attack action, as penalty corners and goals galore. Mumbai thrust in 3 straight goals, and in the 51st min, when the score line read 4-3, it was certain the match is on for a nail biting finish.

Just before the end of the third quarter, in the 53rd minute, the star Indian forward Chandi displayed high-quality team skills; he latched on to the ball to enter the Mumbai circle. One would have thought he would go solo. Instead he passed to young Junior India star Akashdeep Singh; he in turn dived forward to get the accurate deflection by bring the Waveriders back into the game, making it 4-4. Deservingly, Akashdeep earned the ‘Goal of the Match’ award for this superb display of his skills.

In the last quarter, with two more goals by the Waveriders, AK Bansal coached boys sealed a 6-4 victory to their name. During this time, Delhi stamped their authority as Magicians’ wilted, conceded goals, looked fatigued and didn’t even show the courage to reduce the defeat margin.

Conceding goals has been a problem for Mumbai. They tried PT Rao in the first half followed by Sreejesh in the second half. Although, Sreejesh looked alert at many occasions but his defenders didn’t provide the support he commanded, thereby scripting yet another sad story for the master coach Ric Charlesworth’s team.

Delhi Waveriders sit comfortably in the pool table with 17 points. Unfortunately on the opposite is Mumbai Magicians at the bottom of the pool with 4 points, with no apparent threat from anyone else to their position.

Goal Scorers

Waveriders: Oskar Deecke (14th minute), Llyod Norris Jones (23rd), Danish Mujtaba (25th), Akashdeep Singh (53rd), Andres Mir Bel (55th) and Simon Child(58th).

Mumbai Magicians: Sandeep Singh (4th, 42nd and 51st) and Jason Wilson (48th)