Rourkela, Jan 31 (IANS) The Hyderabad Toofans delivered their strongest performance of the season to outclass JSW Soorma Hockey Club 3-1 and soar into the final of the Hockey India League 2024-25 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Friday. The Hyderabad Toofans will face Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for the title on Saturday.
In a match fitting of a semifinal, the Hyderabad Toofans opened the scoring through Amandeep Lakra in the 25th minute before Jacob Anderson (35′) and Nilakanta Sharma (43′) added to their tally while Jeremy Hayward (60’) scored a consolation goal for Soorma off the final play of the match.
Earlier, it was the Toofans who won the game’s first penalty corner in the eighth minute after some fine work from Talwinder Singh. Gonzalo Peillat opted for a variation from the penalty corner as he drilled it back to Talwinder, but he just couldn’t get his stick to the ball in time.
The Toofans created chances at will as Mukul Sharma and Tim Brand combined two minutes later. Mukul crafted a brilliant cross from the right and Brand did well to deflect towards the goal, but Vincent Vanasch’s positioning was perfect as he parried the ball away.
The Soorma Hockey Club, after looking menacing in the opening few minutes, found their chance when they won a penalty with 11 seconds left in the first quarter. Their skipper Harmanpreet Singh struck a swerving drag-flick, but Bikramjit Singh showed great reflexes to make a brilliant block.
Vanasch was called into action early in the second quarter when Peillat let one rip off his stick, but the Belgian stuck his right pad out to thwart the attempt. Nicolas Keenan carved out a chance on the other end with some exceptional 3D hockey to lay it for Gurjant, but the latter just couldn’t get his stick on the ball.
The Toofans’ relentless pressure paid off in the 25th minute when Amandeep Lakra found the back of the net with a top-notch finish. Positioned in the first battery, Amandeep latched onto the ball and unleashed a fiery strike that beat Vanasch and the post man to give the Toofans the all-important lead. Much like the first quarter, the Soorma Hockey Club won a penalty corner again in the final minute of the second but Dominic Dixon made two clinical saves as the Toofans led 1-0 at the halfway mark.
The Toofans, in white, dominated the early proceedings in the third quarter and nearly doubled their lead in the 32nd minute. Sumit weaved his way into the circle with excellent stickwork and laid it for Rajinder Singh, but he couldn’t keep his shot on target.
The Toofans got the goal they sought in the 35th minute after some incredible link-up play. Arthur De Sloover intercepted an aerial ball and blazed down the centre before playing it to Nilakanta Sharma, who played an inch-perfect pass for Jacob Anderson. The Australian slid in at the far post to slot the ball home and give his side a two-goal cushion.
With their backs against the wall, the Soorma Hockey Club made repeated circle penetrations and won a streak of penalty corners but just could not find a way into the goal. Their players were protesting a save with the referee when the Toofans capitalised on the situation and launched a clever counter-attack. That lightning-quick move led to their third goal as Nilakanta struck in the 43rd minute and became the Toofans’ 11th player to get on the scoresheet this season.
Bikramjit remained a force to reckon with as he made a double save — first blocking Nicolas Della Torre’s drag-flick and then the rebound in the 49th minute to continue his stellar performance. The young goalkeeper was at it again in the 56th minute when he made a sharp dive to his right to keep out Jeremy Hayward’s strike.
The Soorma Hockey Club went on to win multiple penalty corners at the death but simply could not convert their chances. They finally managed to score in the final minute of play through Hayward but it didn’t change the outcome as the Hyderabad Toofans clinched a marvellous 3-1 victory.
The Hyderabad Toofans will now face Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for the title, while JSW Soorma Hockey Club will take on the Tamil Nadu Dragons in the third-place match on Saturday.
–IANS
bsk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
