Rourkela (Odisha) [India], January 20 : Soorma Hockey Club defeated Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers with a slender 2-1 victory in a high-voltage match in the Hockey India League 2024-25 (Men) held at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Monday.
Goals were scored by Prabhjot Singh (21'), and Maninder Singh (28') while Jugraj Singh (39') scored the lone goal for the Tigers.
The first quarter got off to a rollicking start with both teams playing with great pace and intensity. They made some fine forays into their respective striking circles which led to a flurry of PCs but neither of them could convert successfully.
With no goals coming in the first quarter, the second quarter saw both the teams up their ante in attack. It was finally Soorma who broke the deadlock and none other than their star Harmanpreet Singh set up the first goal of the match with his trademark aerial ball which was accurate to the T. Receiving the ball in the top of the circle, Prabhjot Singh did very well to control the ball, turned around to take a successful reverse shot. The goal had the sparsely present Rourkela fans on their feet.
The 21st-minute goal gave the right momentum for the Punjab and Haryana-based unit to set up another goal. This time it was off a PC, picked up well by Nicolas Della Torre but it was well saved by Tigers goalie Jamie Carr. Though Gurjant was quick to pick up the rebound, Carr saved it again. Maninder Singh lurking in front of the post picked the second rebound and deflected it into the post fetching the match-winning goal for Soorma in the 28th minute.
The Bengal Tigers bounced back in the third quarter when they won a crucial PC in the 39th minute. Dragflick expert Jugraj Singh was on target, finding the corner of the post and beating Carr quite convincingly. While this goal narrowed the lead to 1-2, it wasn't enough to stop Soorma from romping home to a victory as the final quarter saw a tough fight between the two teams but Soorma defenders held sway.
This was a significant win for Soorma Hockey Club as it was only their second outright win in the league and with phase II underway now, they need to win every game to stay in contention for the play-offs.
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