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JSW Soorma Hockey Club won 3-2 against Tamil Nadu Dragons to claim bronze in the Hockey India League. Goals by Gurjant Singh, Harjeet Singh, and Prabhjot Singh secured the victory.
Soorma Hockey celebrate the medal win. (soormahockey/Instagram)
JSW Soorma Hockey Club secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tamil Nadu Dragons to claim the bronze medal in the Hockey India League men’s competition here on Saturday.
Goals from Gurjant Singh (12th minute), Harjeet Singh (19th), and Prabhjot Singh (57th) scored for Soorma, while Blake Govers (15th) and Jip Janssen (59th) found the net for the Dragons at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium here.
With the win, JSW Soorma pocketed a prize money of Rs 1 crore.
JSW Soorma took the lead in the opening quarter when Gurjant received a pass from Jeremy Hayward and fired it into the net. Soon after, Soorma earned a penalty corner but couldn’t convert as Harmanpreet Singh’s attempt was deflected out.
In response, the Dragons launched a swift counter-attack, with Karthi Selvam weaving past defenders before delivering a perfect pass to Blake Govers, who dived to his right and slotted the ball between Soorma goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch’s legs to equalise in the final moments of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Soorma regained the lead when Harjeet was left unmarked in the circle and chipped a deflected pass from Gurjant over Dragons’ goalkeeper David Harte, making it 2-1.
Soorma maintained their attacking momentum, creating multiple circle penetrations to keep the pressure on the Dragons. In the final minute of the first half, Soorma won three consecutive penalty corners, but Harte’s brilliant goalkeeping and the Dragons’ solid defending kept them at bay.
Tamil Nadu Dragons put Soorma’s defence under constant pressure with their relentless attacks in the third quarter. Soorma, however, managed to earn three penalty corners in quick succession although they failed to capitalise on any of them.
Both teams created scoring opportunities in the final quarter. After a few missed opportunities, Soorma managed to extend their lead when Gurjant Singh made an excellent run, dribbling past defenders, and set up Prabhjot Singh for a simple finish, making it 3-1 in Soorma’s favour.
Late drama unfolded in the final minute as Tamil Nadu Dragons won a penalty corner, and Jip Janssen unleashed a powerful shot to cut the deficit to 3-2.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
- Location :
Odisha (Orissa), India, India
