Rourkela, Jan 29: Soorma Hockey Club advanced to the semifinals with a 1-1 (3-0 SO) penalty shootout victory against Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers in their last Pool stage match of the Men’s Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday. Gurjant Singh (10’) gave Soorma the lead early in the game while Jugraj Singh (56’) equalised for the Tigers towards the end of the game.

Soorma showcased proactive defence in the initial minutes and carefully probed for any weakness in the Tigers’ half. However, the first chance of the game fell to the Tigers as Sukhjeet, on a counterattack, crossed the ball past Soorma’s goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch but Sébastien Dockier was unable to direct it into goal.

Soorma went on to gain more possession, pegging the Tigers back into their own half and it wasn’t long before Victor Wegnez blazed the ball across the goal and Gurjant Singh deflected the ball in to grant Soorma the lead. Soorma earned a penalty corner with three minutes left in the quarter but Harmanpreet Singh’s shot was charged down. The Tigers showed more initiative in the second quarter. Five minutes in, Tim Cross barged into a circle, dancing past multiple defenders, and unloaded the ball to Abhishek but Vanasch was alert in goal to save his shot.

Meanwhile, Soorma continued to have a measured approach in possession, rotating the ball around to create a clear chance. It was end-to-end as the quarter came to a close but neither team was able to muster a shot on goal. The same pattern of play ensued as the third quarter began with Soorma dominating possession and the Tigers launching occasional counterattacks.

The Tigers earned a penalty corner halfway through the quarter but failed to register a shot on goal and Soorma surged ahead to earn a penalty corner of their own. But Harmanpreet’s drag-flick was just wide of the mark.

The Tigers earned another penalty corner with six minutes left in the quarter but Vanasch saved consecutive attempts from Jugraj and Sukhjeet to maintain the Soorma’s lead. As the quarter came to an end, the Tigers wrestled more possession but were unable to breach the Soorma defence. Sukhjeet Singh showed more initiative in the last quarter, embarking on a marauding run into the Soorma circle and unleashing a rocket but his reverse shot sailed wide.

Soorma responded immediately with Nicolas Poncelet crossing from right wing to Gurjant but the Tigers’ keeper Jamie Carr put his body on the line to keep the deflection out of goal.

The Tigers increased the intensity further, leading to a penalty corner with four minutes left in the game and Jugraj Singh stepped up to unleash a powerful flick into goal to restore parity and force penalty shootouts. Soorma Hockey Club’s Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Victor Wegnez found the back of the net in the penalty shootouts while Vincent Vanasch made three saves to secure the bonus point from the game.

Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers and Hyderabad Toofans have already secured their spots in the Semi-Finals, while the final spot will be determined after the match between UP Rudras and Tamil Nadu Dragons. (IANS)

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