Arjun Halappa brace in Lions win

Nandakumar Marar

Karnataka Lions beat Mumbai Marines 4-2 in a World Series Hockey league match on Friday.

Mumbai took the lead six minutes into the game. Off the hosts’ first penalty-corner award, Devender Walmiki dragged the ball to the left post and Joga Singh scored off the rebound from Devesh Chauhan.

Arjun Halappa who got the equaliser, finishing off a move around the left post with a tap from near the penalty spot low to the left corner.

Mohd. Radzi then had a diagonal run at the defence, feinting his way into the goalmouth. Goalkeeper Adrian d’Souza blocked the first shot, only to see Halappa shoot home the rebound. Halappa had a role in the third goal too; he squeezed through space near the left post and was brought down, but he had sneaked the ball into Naveen Kumar’s path to set him up.

The final nail in the coffin came when Vinayak Bijwad won a penalty corner by rolling the ball onto a defender’s foot near the goal-line. Aiyappa’s shot at goal went like a rocket onto the boards.

The results: Karnataka Lions 4 (Arjun Halappa 2, Naveen Kumar, Len Aiyappa) bt Mumbai Marines 2 (Joga Singh, Bimal Lakra)

At Jalandhar: Sher-E-Punjab 5 (Thakur 3, Vinaya, Harpreet) bt Chandigarh Comets 2 (Barkat, Green).

Saturday’s matches: Sher-E-Punjab v Bhopal Badshahs, Jalandhar, 7 p.m.

Karnataka Lions v Chennai Cheetahs, Bangalore, 9 p.m.