HHIL Match 10: Kalinga register maiden win, defeat Magicians
Debut team Kalinga Lancers finally ended their disappointing streak in the Hockey India League after registering their first win against Dabur Mumbai Magicians 2-1 at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The Lancers had lost the previous two matches against Punjab and Delhi by a margin of three and more goals and hence had not earned any points so far.
In Saturday’s match however, much to the relief of the crowd, the Lancers looked confident and well prepared to face the Mumbai challenge.
After the attack of Mumbai captain Prabhjot Singh in the first minute, the Lancers bounced back, launching attacks after attacks. Argentinean star Lucas Villa struck the first goal for Lancers .The second goal came in the 26th minute by Zaleiwski when his rebound went straight into the nets, with Sreejesh getting no time to react.
Mumbai, however, looked better in the second half and had better circle penetrations. They reduced the score margin in the second half when Glenn Turner scored off a Penalty Stroke. Harjot Singh was completely beaten as he dived towards the right but Turner flicked on the left.
However, Penalty Corner was cause of concern since the Lancers failed to convert all the 5 penalty corners it got.
Harjot Singh was declared Man of the Match.
With this win, Kalinga Lancers have earned 5 points and stand above Mumbai Magicians who have 3 points in their kitty from the three loses they faced.