Dabang Mumbai registered their second straight win at the 2016 Hockey India League, after beating the Uttar Pradesh Wizards in their own backyard on Satuday.
The opening quarter saw The Alphas play a similar kind of game that they did in their win against Ranchi Rays, pushing forward and trying to gain an early lead. That style of play paid dividends soon as via a Jonas Bjorkman strike, the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter.
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Thanks to some fine saves from goalkeeper David Hart, it seemed like Dabang Mumbai would keep their lead till the end of the first quarter., but it didn't prove to be the case as Gonzalo Pelliat halved the lead with a penalty corner conversion in the 13 minute even though it was Mumbai who went into the interval with a 2-1 advantage.
Expectedly, the Wizards came out looking to gain the upper hand but the defence of The Alphas's were in top form, not allowing the hosts to penetrate through, thereby putting massive pressure on them. Giving the defence some much-required support was Hart and The Alphas went into the first half with a 2-1 lead.
The other side of the half saw Mumbai continue to attack, look for more goals and pretty much looked good all around, with their defence continuing to prevent the Wizards from scoring. But the hosts also didn't allow their opponents to go ahead and heading into the last quarter, the scoreline continued to read 2-1 in favour of Mumbai.
The fourth and final quarter saw similar scenes unfold as the third, but it was Mumbai who took home the win with yet another sharp performance, especially in their defence and clinched their second consecutive win.
