The two teams kept up the high tempo in the third quarter, with Mumbai dominating possession and play but unable to get the breakthrough to bolster the lead.
Affan Yousuf again showed why he is touted as one of the brightest young talents in Indian hockey as he scored a brace to guide Dabang Mumbai to a 3-2 victory over Delhi Waveriders in a Hockey India League encounter here on Monday.
This was Mumbai’s third consecutive victory at home, and ensured that the hosts remained at the top of the points table.
Waveriders opened the game patiently, rotating the ball between themselves and waiting for an opening into the hosts’ defence. Despite several circle penetrations, it took till the 12th minute for the first real chance to materialize as the visitors won the first penalty corner of the game, though it went abegging.
Mumbai goalkeeper David Harte made a brilliant save later to ensure that both teams went into the first break without a goal.
Yousuf then made the second quarter his own, pumping in two goals past Delhi Waveriders goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch to take his personal tally to seven goals, the highest so far this season.
The first goal was created by Harmanpreet Singh’s long ball forward to Yousuf, who beat Waveriders defender Harjeet Singh to find the net in the 29th minute. A minute later, Yousuf struck again when he converted a penalty corner for Mumbai. The ball came off a rebound as Yousuf found the gap seconds before the first half.
The two teams kept up the high tempo in the third quarter, with Mumbai dominating possession and play but unable to get the breakthrough to bolster the lead. Justin Reid-Ross then got Waveriders off the mark when he successfully converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute to narrow the deficit to 3-1.
The visitors earned another penalty corner in the final quarter, with Rupinder Pal Singh executing a variation and converting it successfully. The visitors missed a golden chance to equalise through a penalty corner in the 55th minute as Rupinder failed to convert.
Result: Dabang Mumbai 3 (Yousuf 29 FG, 30 PC) bt Delhi Waveriders 2 (Reid-Ross 43 PC, Rupinder 55 PC)
Playing today (live on Star Sports 2): Dabang Mumbai vs Kalinga Lancers (7.10 pm)
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