Men's HIL: Late surge seals Shrachi Bengal Tigers' 3–2 comeback win over SG Pipers

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 18 (IANS) In a nail-biting encounter, Shrachi Bengal Tigers overcame a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 victory against the SG Pipers in their final pool stage clash of the Men’s Hockey India League (HIL) at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. 

Dilraj Singh (4’) and Tomas Domene (31’) put the Pipers ahead, but the Tigers roared back with goals from Jugraj Singh (45’), Abhishek (45’), and Affan Yousuf (48’). The triumph keeps the Tigers in the fray with a narrow hope of a top-four finish and a potential bid for the title.

The Tigers opened with sharp passing and slick link-up play, but their defence was caught cold in the fourth minute. The Pipers struck first with a sweeping move built from the back. Aditya Lalage surged forward and slipped a precise pass to Dilraj Singh, who buried it with a reverse-hit from close range.

The Pipers threatened to find their second goal in a penalty corner soon after, but they were denied by Sean Findlay at the post. In the Tigers’ best chance of the quarter, Christopher Ruhr took a thunderous strike from just outside the circle in the 14th minute, but the effort went wide.

The second quarter saw end-to-end action. The Tigers came close to an equaliser when Findlay found Gursewak Singh wide open in the circle; the ensuing shot was swiftly dealt with by Pipers’ goalkeeper, Pawan. Pawan was in action again on the stroke of half-time to parry Sukhjeet’s one-handed close-range shot away. Throughout the quarter, the Tigers asked questions on both flanks and made multiple circle entries, but the equaliser eluded them.

The Pipers extended their lead early in the third quarter from a penalty corner. Tomas Domene's powerful shot from the top deflected off the first charger, Abhishek, and rolled into the back of the net. The Tigers probed with multiple penalty corners, but Pawan remained steadfast with multiple saves. It was Jugraj Singh who finally got the better of Pawan in the 45th minute. In yet another penalty corner, Jugraj Singh flicked Abhishek’s injection to keep his side in the contest.

Seconds later, the scores were levelled. An ambitious long ball from Boccard Gauthier was expertly controlled by Abhishek, before his sizzling shot raced past the goalkeeper.

The Tigers completed a thrilling comeback in the fourth quarter. In another comprehensive team goal, a quick breakaway in the 48th minute saw Sukhjeet thread it to Affan Yousuf, who made the most of the abundant space to slap it into the bottom corner. In response, the Pipers eagerly searched for parity, but the momentum stayed with the Tigers as they closed out a memorable victory.

--IANS

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