Team Gonasika picked a hapless Tamil Nadu Dragons apart in a 4-2 win in the Hockey India League (HIL) Pool B game at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, here on Saturday.
Three goals in the final 15 minutes reflected on its overall dominant display against the Dragons, who struggled to find any sort of rhythm on the ball and will have to wait to confirm its semifinal berth.
As the crowd started filtering in slowly for the early evening clash, local boy Amit Rohidas gave them a reason to cheer when he scored early for the Dragons. Tom Craig was brought down inside the circle. Rohidas drag-flicked it with pace along the turf to evade a crowded right side and sound the boards.
Gonasika got a rare opening late in the first quarter after a mistake from Jip Janssen in possession. Struan Walker deftly reversed a pass into the circle where a waiting Araijeet Singh Hundal showed why he is highly rated with a staggering finish.
In the second quarter, Gonasika kept probing with its crisp passing and ball-carrying while the Dragons were forced to play on the counter. Gonasika tried different variations from the penalty corners (PCs) but the Dragons covered the angles well to keep themselves from going behind.
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In the second half, too, Gonasika controlled the game and continued to knock on the doors before an unusual variation from a PC caught the Dragons off guard.
It was a match-up between the team with the best conversion from PCs against the worst in the league with the narrative playing out for most of the game. The Dragons scored from its first short corner while Gonasika couldn’t convert from its first six chances before it struck late in the third quarter.
When Jack Waller provided the injection, Victor Charlet seemed to miscontrol the ball before he shifted it to the left for Manpreet Singh. Manpreet controlled the ball and played it into the penalty stroke area to find Waller, who had moved into space to apply the finish.
In the final quarter, Gonasika put breathing space in the scoreline when Tim Howard poked the ball from close range after an excellent passing move. For the fourth goal, Gonasika nearly walked the ball into the net with its intricate passing move, before Nikkin Thimmaiah Chendanda lifted the ball into the roof of the net.
The Dragons woke up in the final few minutes with Craig pulling one back for his side but it couldn’t force another.
Match Result:
Tamil Nadu Dragons 2 (Amit Rohidas 8’, Tom Craig 56’) lost to Team Gonasika 4 (Araijeet Singh Hundal 14’, Jack Waller 45’, Tim Howard 50’, Nikkin Thimmaiah Chendanda 51’)