Ranchi: A first-half brace by Jurgaj Singh propelled the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers to a sensational 5-3 comeback win against the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers in the Men’s Hockey India League 2024-25 clash here on Friday.
Jugraj (10’, 27’), Rupinder Pal Singh (16’), Abhishek (30’), and Pardeep Singh Sandhu (40’) were among the goals for the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers as they bounced back from trailing 1-2 to clinch a morale-boosting victory.
The result also saw the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers avenge their loss to the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, for whom Angad Bir Singh (5’), Thierry Brinkman (11’) and Alexander Hendrickx (33’) scored, in the reverse fixture.
The Kalinga Lancers, eager to move up the points table, got off to a brilliant start as they seized the lead in the fifth minute. Arthur van Doren’s dragflick deflected off the woodwork and the Kalinga Lancers captain Aran Zalewski reacted quickly to recycle the ball.
Angad Bir Singh, unmarked on the far post, tapped it in from close range to give his side a 1-0 lead. The Bengal Tigers didn’t take too long to strike back as they found the equalizer in the 10th minute. Having won a penalty corner, Jugraj Singh fired a searing dragflick that offered goalkeeper Krishan Pathak no chance and made it 1-1.
In a true testament to the frantic nature of this match, the Kalinga Lancers took just a minute to soar back into the lead as Thierry Brinkman exchanged a lovely one-two with Antoine Kina before finding the back of the net with finesse to make it 2-1.
This marked Brinkman’s ninth goal of the season and consolidated his position atop the top-scorers list. The Bengals Tigers wasted no time in their comeback as they won three penalty corners within the opening minute of the second quarter and the third of those led to a fantastic goal.
Rupinder Pal Singh, among the best drag-flickers in the world, struck a thunderous strike that zoomed past the rushers, goalkeeper, and postman to make it 2-2.
Both teams had chances over the next few minutes but some dogged defending and inspired goalkeeping from Pathak and James Carr kept the scoreline unchanged. The Bengals Tigers upped the ante thereon and won a flurry of penalty corners, but were denied by some terrific defending from the Kalinga Lancers.
However, Jugraj found the breakthrough as his ferocious drag-flick went between the legs of the rusher and crashed into the goal in the 27th minute.
That lead swelled further as Sam Lane made a lung-bursting run down the right before laying a stunning through ball that found Abishek. The youngster made no mistake as he slammed it home with three seconds left in the second quarter. The Bengal Tigers, who were trailing at one point, now led 4-2 at the halfway mark.
The Kalinga Lancers pulled one back when Alexander Hendrickx got himself on the scoresheet with a well-taken drag-flick in the 33rd minute.
The Bengal Tigers regained their two-goal cushion when Pardeep Singh Sandhu scored from the tightest of angles in the 40th minute. Yogesh Singh crossed the ball into the circle and Pardeep opened the face of his stick at the right time to deflect the ball into the goal and make it 5-3.
Down by two goals, the Kalinga Lancers gave it their all in the final quarter and came close to scoring their fourth, but Gursahibjit Singh just couldn’t get his stick onto Angad’s pass.
Carr made two superb saves to deny Brinkman with six minutes left in the contest as the Kalinga Lancers continued their search for a goal. But it wasn’t meant to be as the Bengal Tigers put up a resolute defence to cap off a well-deserved comeback win.
(IANS)
