Delhi beat Mumbai 2-1 in WSH

New Delhi: Mumbai Marines were denied a late goal as hosts Delhi Wizards managed to eke out a narrow 2-1 victory in a dramatic World Series Hockey match at the Dhyan Chand national Stadium on Monday.

At the 68th minute, Mumbai`s Australian recruit Troy Sutherland slotted one home from a goalmouth melee but it was disallowed after a video referral. Earlier Delhi scored through Vikramjeet Singh (13th minute) and Shakeel Abassi (35th), while for Mumbai, Ajmer Singh (15th) sounded the board. Delhi earned three points to move to 13 points and join Chennai Cheetahs and Bhopal Badshahs at the table. Vikramjeet Singh put Delhi ahead when he converted their first penalty corner in the 13th. However, two minutes later, a defense lapse from Vikramjeet earned the Marines their first penalty corner and Ajmer Singh didn`t make any mistake and brought up the equaliser. In the 17th minute, Delhi earned their second short corner but the hosts failed to capitalise the opportunity as the two teams went into the break locked 1-1. After a fierce battle in the second quarter, Delhi finally got ahead of the Marines in the 35th minute when former Pakistani captain Shakeel Abbasi slotted one home with a reverse hit inside the D from the left flank. The third quarter also saw plenty of action but Mumbai`s repeated attempt to bring up the equaliser was thwarted by the hosts. The wizards too got enough opportunities to increase the margin but they failed to capitalise on the chances. In the fourth quarter, Mumbai had better ball possession but they still couldn`t find that one goal. Former India captain Rajpal Singh made a brilliant counterattack in the 67th minute but couldn`t beat the goalkeeper. A penalty stroke was awarded initially to the wizards but was rolled back after a video referral. One minute later, Sutherland pushed one home on his second attempt but it was disallowed after a video referral by the Wizards. Just seconds before the final hooter, Mumbai had another chance when they earned a penalty corner but they failed to convert. Delhi Wizards will now take on Chandigarh Comets at Chandigarh on Tuesday, while Mumbai Marines will face Sher-E-Punjab at Jalandhar on Wednesday. PTI