Rourkela (Odisha) [India], January 17 : The Vedanta Kalinga Lancers put up a stunning attacking display to cruise to an emphatic 5-1 win against Delhi SG Pipers in the Hero Hockey India League Men's clash at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Thursday.
Nicholas Bandurak (11'), Arthur van Doren (36'), Thierry Brinkman (38', 43'), and Gursahibjit Singh (45') netted goals for Lancers, while Corey Weyer (46') scored a solitary goal for Pipers.
The Delhi SG Pipers were the aggressors from the get-go and won the game's first penalty corner in the fourth minute. Tomas Domene fired a powerful slapshot, which was met by a clean block from Krishan Pathak. The Kalinga Lancers came close to scoring in the eighth minute but were denied by a series of superb saves from Pawan Kumar between the sticks. The Lancers found a way past Pawan in the 11th minute, after a relentless attack from Nicholas Bandurak. The Englishman had a go at goal from the edge of the circle, which was blocked by Pawan, but the rebound landed kindly for Bandurak. He smashed the ball home from close range to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead.
The SG Pipers found an opening in the 23rd minute when Lucas Toscani made a mazy run into the circle and won a penalty corner after being stick-checked. Rohit Kumar struck a powerful strike, but Pathak came to his side's rescue yet again with a clinical save. Iktidar Ishrat had a chance soon after when he latched onto a loose ball, but his tomahawk strike drifted wide of the target. Dilpreet Singh also had a chance to double the Lancers' lead at the other end, but he too couldn't keep his attempt on target. Domene's dragflick in the final minute of the second quarter failed to trouble Pathak as the Lancers went into the interval with a narrow 1-0 lead.
The SG Pipers, who had more possession and circle penetrations in the first half of play, began the third quarter in fine fashion by winning two penalty corners inside the opening minute. However, it wasn't meant to be for them as Pathak remained unbeatable. The Lancers doubled their lead in the 36th minute after a stunning penalty corner variation. Arthur Van Doren met a disguised dragflick with his outstretched stick, in what was a fantastic attacking move. Thierry Brinkman made it 3-0 two minutes later when he stole the ball from the SG Pipers' defence and slotted it past Pawan to net his fifth goal of the season.
Brinkman struck again in the 43rd minute when Pawan charged off his line to deny Angad Bir Singh. However, the ball took a deflection and Brinkman was well-placed to put the ball into an unguarded goal and make it 4-0. That goal made Brinkman the season's top scorer.
The scoreline read 5-0 in the Lancers' favour in the 45th minute as Rosan Kujur dribbled his way down the right flank and perfectly laid it for Gursahibjit Singh, who made no mistake.
The SG Pipers pulled one back in the 46th minute when Jake Whetton won the ball and found Corey Weyer, whose thunderous tomahawk sneaked past Pathak. However, that was too little too late for the Delhi SG Pipers as the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers clinched a commanding victory.
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