Uthappa ’tricks as MbPT beat Mumbai Customs 3-2

MbPT’s hat-trick hero Aryan Uthappa (left) tries to get away from Mumbai Customs defender Conroy Remedious. Pic/Ashish Raje

Spearheaded by a brilliant hat-trick from attacking midfielder Aryan Uthappa, Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) staged a stunning second-half comeback to beat Mumbai Customs 3-2 in a first-round match of the Hockey Mumbai Super League at Don Bosco turf, Matunga, yesterday.

Mumbai Customs asserted early control and scored in the 10th minute, as Moses Pullantara found space inside the circle and struck a precise shot into the bottom-left corner to hand Customs the lead.

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Suraj Shukla's composed finish doubled Customs's lead just before half-time (29th minute). After the break, MbPT, who were struggling with on-field communication, adopted a novel approach by calling out jersey numbers to improve coordination. And it worked.

Uthappa, showing excellent awareness and attacking flair, began the fightback in the 39th minute, reducing the deficit with a deft strike. His pace and positioning troubled the Customs defence and with four minutes remaining, Uthappa struck again in the top left corner, levelling things at 2-2.

In the 58th minute, with the match getting intense, Uthappa completed his treble in style - dribbling past Customs custodian Rasal Shivratna to seal a 3-2 victory for MbPT.