New Delhi: Delhi Waveriders continued their aggressive, unbeaten run in the Hockey India League (HIL) with their third win over Mumbai Magicians and fifth overall in the tournament as the hosts survived a hat-trick by Mumbai skipper Sandeep Singh to take home a narrow 4-3 win here at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday.
The victory took India and Delhi skipper Sardar Singh's side to 27 points - five points clear of the second placed Ranchi Rhinos who beat Uttar Pradesh Wizards 3-1 in the first match of the day. Mumbai, on the other hand, suffered their sixth successive defeat to remain at the bottom of the table with 6 points.
Mumbai were 3-0 down by the 22nd minute in the second quarter but Sandeep's lethal drag flicks in the 28th, 56th and then four minutes from full time made it 4-3. Delhi, however, held onto their one-goal lead in the dying minutes to register a win.
The hosts began playing aggressive hockey from the opening minute itself, raiding the Mumbai circle repeatedly. The dividends of that arrived as early as the 6th minute when Gurvinder Singh Chandi got a lucky ball and passed it onto Imran Khan, who put it into the Mumbai net on a volley. Lloyd Norris Jones (12th minute) then made it 2-0 in a goalmouth melee. The ball slipped under goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, requiring Jones to just push it into the empty goal.
Jones (22nd) then scored his second goal of the match to make it 3-0 in the second quarter when Talwinder Singh's cross from the right flank found the South African unmarked. Jones made no mistake to direct the ball into the Mumbai goal.
The first of Sandeep's three goals came off a soft penalty corner conceded by Mumbai. The drag-flicker made no mistake to reduce the score to 3-1. But Delhi Defender Rupinder Pal Singh then netted one in the 51st minute off the second penalty corner earned by the hosts to once again stretch the lead to 4-1.
Sandeep's two more goals in the last quarter perched him firmly on top of the leading goal-scorers' chart with 9 strikes. Though Sandeep scored thrice in the match, Mumbai could convert only three of the 7 penalty corners they earned that proved to be the difference in the end.
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