Moritz shines for 5-star Mum
Duane Fonseca
After a forgettable opener against Atletico de Kolkata, Mumbai score a thumping home win over Pune City.
At the pre-match conference of his side’s Indian Super League (ISL) match with Pune City, Mumbai coach Peter Reid said he would be satisfied if his side played awfully and still won.
Mumbai were looking to bounce back from the 0-3 drubbing they were handed on the opening night by Atletico de Kolkata and a Moritz brace and a third from Singam Subash Singh put them on their way as they went 3-0 up inside 36 minutes. Moritz completed his hat-trick in the 71st and defender Johan Letzelter hammered the final nail to cap a five star night for the city.
The match had been billed as the ‘Maharashtra Derby’ and Pune seemed intent on denying its capital the state bragging rights having played a goalless draw with Delhi Dynamos in their first game. They raced out of the gates with skipper David Trezeguet leading the charge, but the Frenchman was hacked down on the edge of the area by Peter Costa as soon as he picked speed. The foul earned Costa the first caution in the second minute, but Trezeguet flopped with his spot-kick and sent the ball high from the lucrative spot in the centre.
The miss was a reprieve for Mumbai’s early indiscipline and they started to build patiently. Their midfield slowly assumed control of the game and it just felt right when Moritz scored after collecting Lalrindika Ralte’s long diagonal ball on the right. The Brazilian cut in well before scoring with a crisp left footer that curled around Pune goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi and settled inside the left post.
While Pune failed to regroup after the goal, Mumbai went for the jugular.
Still the visitors would have drawn level had Trezeguet’s 22nd minute overhead kick not ricocheted off the crossbar.
Another reprieve for Mumbai resulted in another goal against Pune, with Moritz side volleying into an open net following a corner in the 26th minute.
Pune’s defence was in shambles by now and Singam rounded off the first half scoring by placing it to Belardi’s right after the ball was slipped to him through one of the many chinks in the opposition defence.
The introduction of Freddie Ljungberg in the 68th minute drew a loud cheer from the 25,000-odd crowd, but the Swede, who filled in for Jan Stohanzl, took his time to settle in as he marked his comeback from a calf strain.
Moritz completed his hat-trick on 71 minutes, Pune’s defence once again costing the side dear. Their entire back four appeared to have dozed off, when Moritz approached a ball that should have been cleared comfortably. Instead, he was given the chance to wade through the centre and fired to the right of Belardi, who was playing the protagonist in an absolute nightmarish script for his side.
The Italian’s night would get worse in the 86th when Mumbai City defender Johan Letzelter stormed into the Pune box to add the finishing touch to a move started by Nadong Bhutia, who provided the assist from the right.
TODAY'S MATCHES
Kolkata vs Delhi 4.30 pm
Northeast vs Goa 7 pm
After a forgettable opener against Atletico de Kolkata, Mumbai score a thumping home win over Pune City.
At the pre-match conference of his side’s Indian Super League (ISL) match with Pune City, Mumbai coach Peter Reid said he would be satisfied if his side played awfully and still won.
Last night, the Englishman would have slept with a smile on his face after Andre Francisco Moritz capped off what was a beautiful night for Mumbai by scoring the tournament’s first hat-trick in a 5-0 success for Reid’s men.
Mumbai were looking to bounce back from the 0-3 drubbing they were handed on the opening night by Atletico de Kolkata and a Moritz brace and a third from Singam Subash Singh put them on their way as they went 3-0 up inside 36 minutes. Moritz completed his hat-trick in the 71st and defender Johan Letzelter hammered the final nail to cap a five star night for the city.
The match had been billed as the ‘Maharashtra Derby’ and Pune seemed intent on denying its capital the state bragging rights having played a goalless draw with Delhi Dynamos in their first game. They raced out of the gates with skipper David Trezeguet leading the charge, but the Frenchman was hacked down on the edge of the area by Peter Costa as soon as he picked speed. The foul earned Costa the first caution in the second minute, but Trezeguet flopped with his spot-kick and sent the ball high from the lucrative spot in the centre.
The miss was a reprieve for Mumbai’s early indiscipline and they started to build patiently. Their midfield slowly assumed control of the game and it just felt right when Moritz scored after collecting Lalrindika Ralte’s long diagonal ball on the right. The Brazilian cut in well before scoring with a crisp left footer that curled around Pune goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi and settled inside the left post.
While Pune failed to regroup after the goal, Mumbai went for the jugular.
Still the visitors would have drawn level had Trezeguet’s 22nd minute overhead kick not ricocheted off the crossbar.
Another reprieve for Mumbai resulted in another goal against Pune, with Moritz side volleying into an open net following a corner in the 26th minute.
Pune’s defence was in shambles by now and Singam rounded off the first half scoring by placing it to Belardi’s right after the ball was slipped to him through one of the many chinks in the opposition defence.
The introduction of Freddie Ljungberg in the 68th minute drew a loud cheer from the 25,000-odd crowd, but the Swede, who filled in for Jan Stohanzl, took his time to settle in as he marked his comeback from a calf strain.
Moritz completed his hat-trick on 71 minutes, Pune’s defence once again costing the side dear. Their entire back four appeared to have dozed off, when Moritz approached a ball that should have been cleared comfortably. Instead, he was given the chance to wade through the centre and fired to the right of Belardi, who was playing the protagonist in an absolute nightmarish script for his side.
The Italian’s night would get worse in the 86th when Mumbai City defender Johan Letzelter stormed into the Pune box to add the finishing touch to a move started by Nadong Bhutia, who provided the assist from the right.
TODAY'S MATCHES
Kolkata vs Delhi 4.30 pm
Northeast vs Goa 7 pm
