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Soorma HC secured their place in the final-four of the event with a 3-0 shootout win against the Tigers on Wednesday after the sides were tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time.
HIL 2024-25: Soorma Hockey Club beat Bengal Tigers 3-0 in shootout. (X)
Soorma Hockey Club advanced to the semifinals with a 1-1 (3-0 SO) penalty shootout victory against Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers in their last Pool stage match of the Men’s Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday. Gurjant Singh (10’) gave Soorma the lead early in the game while Jugraj Singh (56’) equalised for the Tigers towards the end of the game.
Soorma showcased proactive defence in the initial minutes and carefully probed for any weakness in the Tigers’ half. However, the first chance of the game fell to the Tigers as Sukhjeet, on a counterattack, crossed the ball past Soorma’s goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch but Sébastien Dockier was unable to direct it into goal.
Soorma went on to gain more possession, pegging the Tigers back into their own half and it wasn’t long before Victor Wegnez blazed the ball across the goal and Gurjant Singh deflected the ball in to grant Soorma the lead. Soorma earned a penalty corner with three minutes left in the quarter but Harmanpreet Singh’s shot was charged down. The Tigers showed more initiative in the second quarter. Five minutes in, Tim Cross barged into a circle, dancing past multiple defenders, and unloaded the ball to Abhishek but Vanasch was alert in goal to save his shot.
Meanwhile, Soorma continued to have a measured approach in possession, rotating the ball around to create a clear chance. It was end-to-end as the quarter came to a close but neither team was able to muster a shot on goal. The same pattern of play ensued as the third quarter began with Soorma dominating possession and the Tigers launching occasional counterattacks.
The Tigers earned a penalty corner halfway through the quarter but failed to register a shot on goal and Soorma surged ahead to earn a penalty corner of their own. But Harmanpreet’s drag-flick was just wide of the mark.
The Tigers earned another penalty corner with six minutes left in the quarter but Vanasch saved consecutive attempts from Jugraj and Sukhjeet to maintain the Soorma’s lead. As the quarter came to an end, the Tigers wrestled more possession but were unable to breach the Soorma defence. Sukhjeet Singh showed more initiative in the last quarter, embarking on a marauding run into the Soorma circle and unleashing a rocket but his reverse shot sailed wide.
Soorma responded immediately with Nicolas Poncelet crossing from right wing to Gurjant but the Tigers’ keeper Jamie Carr put his body on the line to keep the deflection out of goal.
The Tigers increased the intensity further, leading to a penalty corner with four minutes left in the game and Jugraj Singh stepped up to unleash a powerful flick into goal to restore parity and force penalty shootouts. Soorma Hockey Club’s Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Victor Wegnez found the back of the net in the penalty shootouts while Vincent Vanasch made three saves to secure the bonus point from the game.
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers and Hyderabad Toofans have already secured their spots in the Semi-Finals, while the final spot will be determined after the match between UP Rudras and Tamil Nadu Dragons.
Tamil Nadu Dragons beat UP Rudras
The Tamil Nadu Dragons came back from two goals down to secure a draw against the UP Rudras in a thrilling encounter, to secure their place in the semifinals at the UP Rudras’ expense in the process.
Sudeep Chrimako (8`) and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (15`) scored for the UP Rudras while Jip Janssen (32`) and Thomas Sorsby (53`) scored for the Tamil Nadu Dragons. The UP Rudras won the penalty shootout 3-2 in sudden death to secure the bonus point.
It was a clash between the fourth and fifth-placed teams for the final place in the semifinals. The Tamil Nadu Dragons were fourth with 17 points with the UP Rudras fifth with 15 points. While a draw would have been enough to take the Dragons into the semifinals, the Rudras had to win tonight to finish in the top four. After an even start to the match, it was the UP Rudras who took the lead through a well-taken goal from Sudeep Chirmako in the eighth minute. Chirmako did well to trap James Albery’s pass before firing the ball past David Harte in the Tamil Nadu Dragons’ goal.
The Dragons went in the hunt for an equaliser but were kept away by a solid Rudras defence. The UP Rudras scored again in the final minute of the quarter to take an important 2-0 lead into the second quarter. The Rudras won a penalty corner which was saved by Harte. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay was at hand to fire the ball past Harte for his first goal of the season.
The Dragons tried to create chances but found the Rudras difficult to break down. Led by captain Hardik Singh, the UP Rudras controlled the tempo of the match as they went into the halftime break with their two-goal advantage.
The Tamil Nadu Dragons had a golden opportunity to pull one back in the 31st minute. Blake Govers was found in the Rudras 23m zone with a long ball. Goalkeeper James Mazarelo rushed out to close out the angle only for Govers to scoop the ball towards Selvam Karthi who had joined the attack. Karthi only had to tap the ball in but was not able to control the ball and the chance went in vain.
The Dragons did pull one back in the 32nd minute via a well-worked penalty corner routine. The injection went to the second castle where Govers dummied taking a shot. The ball was quickly passed on to Jip Janssen and the Dutchman slapped the ball into the goal. The goal gave the Dragons a much-needed boost and pressed on for an equaliser. The Dragons won a penalty corner in the 42nd minute. Janssen beat Mazarelo with his drag flick only to see Surender Kumar block the shot brilliantly on the goalline.
The Dragons made multiple circle entries but could not find the finish to get past Mazarelo as the third quarter ended 2-1. The Dragons’ persistence finally paid off as they got their equaliser in the 53rd minute through another penalty corner. Thomas Sorsby moved into the space behind the first rusher to deflect Govers’ drag-flick past Mazarelo in the goal.
Knowing that a draw would be sufficient to make it to the semifinals, the Dragons began to starve the Rudras of possession and eat up as much time as they could.
The Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers will play the Tamil Nadu Dragons in the first semifinal of the Hockey India League on Friday (January 31). The JSW Soorma Hockey Club will play the Hyderabad Toofans in the second semifinal later on Friday.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – IANS)
- Location :
Odisha (Orissa), India, India
