Hosts Delhi Waveriders suffered a heartbreaking loss to Dabang Mumbai in an important game of Hockey India league here at Shivaji Stadium on Wednesday. It was Mumbai skipper Florian Fuchs' deflection into the net in the final minute that stole the game for the visitors.
Initially it was the Mumbai side that seemed to be taking the attack to the opposition. Emmanuel Stockbroekx had some good runs towards the 'D' as Mumbai looked to attack mainly from the right, as a result of which Rupinder Pal Singh had to shift from his normal position on the right flank to the left.
But slowly Delhi started to shift the pressure on Mumbai and they were able to earn a penalty corner in the seventh minute thanks to a brilliant run by Manuel Brunet. But the hosts were not able to convert this PC as well as another in the tenth minute. The second quarter too saw similar play as the match became a battle of attrition between two teams with strong defence. Mumbai were especially impressive in not giving space to Delhi forwards and blocking their channels.
The visitors earned a PC in the ninth minute of second quarter and Kieran Govers's drag flick gave Mumbai the lead. Delhi responded with aggression and managed to earn PC's but Rupinder couldn't convert his chances while Delhi's variations also proved fruitless.
In the third quarter, Delhi pressed forward and Mandeep Singh, in the 44th minute, inspite of being marked, made space for himself inside the 'D' after receiving a pass from the right and smashed a field goal to earn a 2-1 lead for Waveriders.
Rattled by this, Mumbai started attacking more in the fourth quarter but missed chances and good defending from Delhi kept them behind. But then, Fuchs, who was rather inconspicuous through the game started making an impact. In the last minute Harmanpreet Singh slashed the ball from the midfield into a packed 'D' and perfectly placed Fuchs guided the ball into the net giving his team a thrilling victory.