MUMBAI: Dabang Mumbai are ‘The Alphas’ of the Hockey India League. While it has been a misnomer, with the team failing to qualify for the knockout rounds in previous editions, they gave a performance worthy of the nickname against Jaypee Punjab Warriors on Friday. Hosts Mumbai raced to a 10-4 victory against Punjab on a breezy evening in Mumbai to climb to the top of the League.
The drums blared with relentless energy in the stands, and seemingly for the first time, the Mumbai team’s intensity matched it. Their unbeaten start means Mumbai are now on top of the table, with 12 points from three matches.
Punjab Warriors, were playing their first game and Mumbai made the most of their opponents’ lack of match time as they scored five field goals. Captain Florian Fuchs finally came to the party by netting two stunning goals. While he hadn’t been able to make an impact in the last two matches, Mumbai’s Affan Yousuf scored twice by being at the right place at the right time. Nikkin Thimmaiah had given Mumbai the lead in the fifth minute by tapping a ball in off an Emmanuel Stockbroekx pass.
It was Matt Gohdes (13th minute) and Arman Qureshi (44th minute) who scored the field goals for Punjab on a day that neither team was able to convert penalty corners.
Mumbai looked sharper with each outing but no one could have seen the dominating performance against Punjab coming. The team, coached by Australia’s Jay Stacy, had been rescued by last minute efforts in the past two games but made a positive start against Punjab by grabbing the lead in the first five minutes. Their foreign recruits Stockbroekx and Robbert Kemperman hit their stride and wrestled control of the mid-field.
Germany’s wonder-kid Fuchs had been the League’s top buy last season, at $96,000, and on the day, he showed why he is so highly rated. In the 30th minute, Fuchs collected a ball from Kemperman on the edge of the circle, turned half moon to evade the defender and whipped the ball into goal.
He powered another shot for goal in the 43rd minute. The 25-year-old isn’t quite known for his physicality like most of the Germans, but his skill and positioning make up for the slight frame and was one of the reasons why Stacy chose to hand him the captain’s arm band.
Even though the Warriors had an extended practice time than most of the teams, their lack of match time on the pitch was evident. Former India captain Sardar Singh has lost some of his pace and was thus unable to impose himself in the mid-field.
deeptipatwardhan@newindianexpress.com