Making amends for their below-par show in the semi-finals, Soorma Hockey Club prevailed over Tamil Nadu Dragons 3-2 to finish third in the Hockey India League on Saturday, February 1. (Highlights | More Hockey News)
Goals from Gurjant Singh, Harjeet Singh and Prabhjot Singh handed Soorma the victory. The Dragons scored via Blake Govers in the 15th minute and then Jip Janssen in the 59th, but it was not enough to avert defeat.
The opening quarter saw both teams start cautiously, focusing on ball control and quick passing. The Dragons had a chance to break the deadlock in the 10th minute with a penalty corner, but Jip Janssen라이브 바카라 shot went wide.
Just two minutes later, Soorma took the lead when Gurjant Singh (12th) 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 Singh라이브 바카라 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 (15th), who dived to his right and slotted the ball between Soorma goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch라이브 바카라 legs to equalise in the final moments of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Soorma regained the lead when Harjeet Singh (19th) was left unmarked in the circle and chipped a deflected pass from Gurjant over Dragons’ goalkeeper David Harte, making it 2-1. Shortly after, Dragons conceded another penalty corner, but Harte made an excellent save against Hayward라이브 바카라 powerful shot aimed at the bottom right corner.
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 Harte라이브 바카라 brilliant goalkeeping and the Dragons’ solid defending kept them at bay, with the score remaining 2-1 at halftime in favour of Soorma.
The Dragons came out all guns blazing in the third quarter determined to turn the match around, putting Soorma라이브 바카라 defence under constant pressure with their relentless attacks. Meanwhile, Soorma intensified their efforts and earned three penalty corners in quick succession but failed to capitalise on any of them.
Despite the aggressive play from both sides, neither team could find the back of the net in the penultimate quarter, which ended goalless.
The fourth and final quarter was action-packed, with both teams making frequent circle entries and creating scoring opportunities. With just over five minutes remaining, Soorma earned their eighth penalty corner, but once again, they couldn’t convert as Harmanpreet라이브 바카라 shot was saved by goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh.
Despite the missed opportunity, Soorma managed to extend their lead shortly after when Gurjant Singh made an excellent run, dribbling past defenders, and set up Prabhjot Singh (57th) for a simple finish, making it 3-1 in Soorma라이브 바카라 favour.
Late drama unfolded in the final minute as Tamil Nadu Dragons won a penalty corner, and Jip Janssen (59th) unleashed a powerful shot to cut the deficit to 3-2. However, that proved to be the last goal of the thrilling match, with Soorma securing a 3-2 victory.
Soorma thus claimed the bronze medal and a prize of INR 1 crore to go with it.
