Football was the only thing hot on this wintry on Saturday evening and turning the heat on was Abhishek Yadav. Leading from the front, the Mumbai FC skipper scored a hattrick in his team's annihilation of HAL, Bangalore.
However, Yadav's effort was not enough to see his team through to the semifinals of the Hero Honda 31st Fed Cup as Churchill Brothers dashed their hopes with a convincing 2-0 win over Sporting Clube de Goa in the second match.
In a match that exceeded expectations, Yadav opened the scoring in the 19th. Charging in from near the halfway line, Yadav received a through ball from Kayne Vincent before slotting in past HAL keeper Amar Deb. HAL hit back against the run of play through J Murali four minutes later when he unleashed a superb volley from the edge of the box.
Mumbai needed to beat HAL by as many goals as possible to keep them in the hunt, and keeping that in mind, they started on an aggressive note and continued to do so through the first half. But Khalid Jamil's boys were unfortunate to have found the net just once in the session.
While HAL didn't mind playing the waiting game after the change of ends, Mumbai FC looked desperate for goals. That came when Yadav struck with a header, so typical of him, in the 77th minute. Two minutes later, the striker secured his hattrick when he converted from the spot. The game was as good as over when Evans Quao scored off a rebound four minutes later. Murali's spot kick reduced the margin for HAL.
{{/usCountry}}While HAL didn't mind playing the waiting game after the change of ends, Mumbai FC looked desperate for goals. That came when Yadav struck with a header, so typical of him, in the 77th minute. Two minutes later, the striker secured his hattrick when he converted from the spot. The game was as good as over when Evans Quao scored off a rebound four minutes later. Murali's spot kick reduced the margin for HAL.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, after a goalless first-half, Okolie Odafe broke the deadlock for Churchill when he tapped a loose ball into the net. Khantang Paite doubled the lead in the dying moments when he headed in a Dan Ito corner to seal the issue.
Today’s matches
East Bengal vs JCT, 3pm
Viva Kerala vs Salgaocar, 5.30pm