It was nearly an inspirational one-man show by Harmanpreet Singh but Soorma Hockey Club fell short in the end against Tamil Nadu Dragons in another five-goal thriller at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Egmore on Tuesday. Dragons were the better side in the first half and scored twice in three minutes before half-time, with Selvaraj Kanagaraj (28′) and Uttam Singh (30′) on target from close range. A moment of magic saw Harmanpreet throw a long aerial from deep defense with five seconds to go in Q3 to set up Maninder Singh (45′). The Dragons restored their two-goal lead with a blistering counterattack early in Q4 finished by Blake Govers (47′). Harmanpreet (58′) won and converted a PC with two minutes to go but Soorma couldn’t manage an equaliser in the dying seconds.
Soorma began the match with patient possession in their own half, but the Dragons pressed high and forced an early save from goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch inside the first minute. The intensity rose as the game progressed in the second quarter. The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Selvaraj finished cleanly after a well-timed pass from Chandan Yadav down the right. The goal gave the Dragons momentum, and they struck again just before halftime. Uttam doubled the lead in the 30th minute with a fine reverse hit to make it 2–0, moments after Soorma’s Gurjant Singh was shown a green card.
In the third quarter, Soorma responded with greater urgency with Harmanpreet acting as the quarterback with his range of passing from deep in their own territory. He won their first penalty corner in the 36th minute but failed to convert. Soorma’s best chance came in the 42nd minute when Vivek Prasad found space in the circle, but Dragons goalkeeper David Harte produced a sharp save. The closing seconds of the period brought drama as Nathan Ephramus goal for the Dragons was disallowed for a backstick. From the resulting free hit, Harmanpreet sent a lofted ball into the circle, and a deflection fell to Maninder who fired home with just one second left.
Soorma carried that momentum into the final quarter and continued to attack. Harte was tested again and stood firm. Against the run of play, the Dragons struck decisively when Tom Craig made a superb run from deep and slipped a precise pass to Govers, who’s first touch was extraordinary and the finish leaving Vincent Vanasch with no chance.
Soorma refused to give up and earned a series of late penalty corners. Rohidas blocked Harmanpreet’s effort in the 56th minute, and Harte saved another attempt soon after. Harmanpreet finally converted in the 58th minute with a powerful drag-flick to make it 3–2. The final minutes were tense as Soorma won two more penalty corners, but the Dragons’ defence held strong. Under heavy pressure, the hosts showed composure to close out the match and move to the top of the table with 5 points.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
