Rourkela, Jan 26 Arshdeep Singh proved to be the match-winner for the Hyderabad Toofans as his brace propelled them to a comprehensive 3-1 win against the UP Rudras in the Men’s Hockey India League match at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Saturday. Arshdeep’s two goals (28', 60’) came after Gonzalo Peillat scored the opener in the 25th minute, while Jobanpreet Singh (40’) pulled one back for the UP Rudras.
Earlier, the Hyderabad Toofans won the game's first penalty corner via Rajinder Singh in the fifth minute. Peillat stepped up to the opportunity but could not find a way past the defence. The UP Rudras created a similar chance when Kane Russell fired a goal-bound flick but Mukul Sharma made a fine save on the goal-line. Soon after, Akashdeep Singh had an excellent chance to put the UP Rudras ahead as he had just the goalkeeper to beat but failed to convert and the first quarter ended goalless.
The Hyderabad Toofans broke the deadlock in the 25th minute when Peillat lived up to his reputation as among the world’s best drag flickers. His ferocious strike took a hit off James Mazarelo’s left glove but that didn’t stop the ball from finding the back of the net. The Toofans doubled their lead in the 28th minute when Akashdeep scored a stunning goal. The 20-year-old showed great vision to steal the ball at the edge of the circle and then weaved past two defenders before smashing an unstoppable tomahawk to make it 2-0.
Holding on to a comfortable lead, the Toofans pushed ahead for a third when Sam Ward’s terrific stickwork saw him control an aerial ball and dribble his way into the box before earning a penalty corner. The Toofans could not find a goal though as Mazarelo made a couple of clutch saves to keep his side in the game. The UP Rudras clawed their way back into the contest as a marvellous Jobanpreet goal gave them a lifeline. Russell’s drag-flick took a deflection, and Jobanpreet did well to bring the ball down before unleashing an astonishing slapshot that made it 1-2 in the 40th minute.
The Rudras thought they had the equalizer in the 50th minute when they opted for a penalty corner variation that saw Russell slip the ball to Tanguy Cosyns. The Belgian’s strike beat the rushers and looked destined to find the top corner before Dominic Dixon made a fantastic diving save to keep the ball out.
Arshdeep proved to be the match-winner as he finished off a fabulous team move in the final minute of play. Shilanand Lakra and Zachary Wallace exchanged passes before the latter played a neat ball across the goal and Arshdeep was at the right place at the right time to tap it home and close out a superb 3-1 win for the Hyderabad Toofans.
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