Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium: 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.
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.
Article Source: IANS
