Rourkela (Odisha) [India], January 4 : Team Gonasika secured their first win of Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 as they beat Hyderabad Toofans 3-1 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Saturday.
SV Sunil (2`), Victor Charlet (33`) and Nilam Sanjeep Xess (60`) scored for Team Gonasika while Tim Brand (12`) scored for the Hyderabad Toofans, as per a press release from HIL.
SV Sunil and Mandeep Singh had been a lethal attacking pair in the 2010s with the duo combining to score many an important goal for India. They did it once again to give Gonasika the lead in the second minute.
Lee Morton played the ball to Mandeep with the India forward losing his defender and creating some space for himself. Mandeep displayed incredible agility and vision to play a superb pass to Sunil who tapped it into the empty goal.
The Toofans levelled against the run of play in the 12th play. Zachary Wallace played a pass towards the post Shilanand Lakra helping the ball along the way. Both Rajinder Singh and Tim Brand were at hand to try and squeeze it past Oliver Payne. It was Brand who got the telling touch.
Sunil nearly gave Gonasika their lead again in the final minute as he sneaked towards the far post. Goalkeeper Dominic Dixon did enough to close down the angle as Sunil ran out of room to shoot.
Gonasika thought they took the lead in the 22nd minute. Araijeet Singh Hundal stole the ball high up on the pitch and threaded the Toofans' defence to find Timothee Clement. The French forward took a touch before tomahawking the ball past Dixon.
However, the TV umpire found that Clement had used his back stick in his shot.
The Toofans had a big chance to take the lead as they made their way into the circle. Arshdeep Singh made space for himself at the post and went across the goal. The ball, however, fizzed across the face of the goal.
Team Gonasika could have gone into the break with the lead if not for Devendra Walmiki's timely intervention. Lee Morton was found in the circle with a crossfield diagonal. Morton fired in a cross for fellow Scotsman Struan Walker who was waiting at the far post. Walmiki was at the right place to deflect the ball away from Walker.
Gonasika had the perfect start to the half as they once again took the lead. They won four penalty corners on the trot with Victor Charlet finally firing his drag flick past Dixon in the 33rd minute.
The Toofans had their fair share of chances to score but were unable to find the killer touch as Gonasika ended the quarter with their lead intact.
The Toofans had a flurry of chances in the opening few minutes of the final quarter but were thwarted by a solid Gonasika defence. Gonasika's best chance in the early minutes fell to Sunil from a counter but the former India forward was unable to get his shot away.
In the 53rd minute, Maico Casella jinxed past two players which gave him the time to pick out the perfect pass. The Argentine player found the run of Wallace with the Australian getting past one defender. However, Wallace's touch let him down as Gonasika scrambled to get the ball out of their circle.
The Toofans have been the most successful team from penalty corners this season having scored four goals before today. It was thus a testament to Gonasika's defence that the Toofans won their first penalty corner in the 57th minute.
Gonzallo Peillat, one of the deadliest drag flickers in the game, saw his effort blocked down by his opposite number, Charlet.
The Toofans took off their goalkeeper as they went in search of the equaliser. Unfortunately, they were unable to make it count with Gonasika managing to make it 3-1 with Nilam Sanjeep Xess poking the ball into the empty goal in the final minute.
Player of the Match Victor Charlet said, "After three good games, we needed three points and we are happy to have got it today. All the matches have been tight so we need to be 100% for all the matches and today was a big victory for us"
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