COMETS HUNT DOWN LIONS
With ace drag flicker Gurjinder Singh scoring four goals, Chandigarh Comets defeated Karnataka Lions 6-1 in their last league match, at the sector 42 sports complex, their home ground. The local outfit got the better off Karnataka Lions and made it a one -sided affair, during the league match of the World Series Hockey.
With international players like goalkeeper Devesh Chauvan, Arjun Hallappa and Ravipal Singh, the Lions started the match by pressurizing the home team from the right wing. Arjun and Ravi continued to target left full back Robert Green and left stopper Gurjinder Singh, with their speed and soon broke through with success. After some deft stick work, they delivered a brilliant pass to Arjun Antil who had made a run right upto the goal mouth.
But Arjun failed to make it 1-0. On other side, the forward line of the Comets started to penetrate the defense and won two penalty corners but specialist Gurjinder Singh failed to avail both chances.
After the first quarter, coach Harendra Singh shifted defender Gurjinder to right-flank but the speedy duo continued to target him and won the first penalty corner of the game. Drag flicker Sandeep Singh missed the first chance. But he made up for the miss soon after when, with a power-packed second attempt, he put the visiting side in the driver’s seat in the 25th minute. The goal had all the stands up in a roar as the home team continued their fine showing at home.
Just before the lemon break the home team, looking in high spirits, made a comeback with Gurjinder Singh covering up his earlier mistake and scoring the leveler through an awarded penalty corner in the 33rd minute while in very next minute Ramandeep Singh scored a field goal.
The score remained same throughout the third quarter with both teams giving their best to make a comeback in the game but finding little luck in doing so. Later in the fourth quarter, drag flicker Gurjinder Singh showed his class and scored two goals through penalty corners in the 56th and 62nd minutes of the game.
Not only this, the last quarter witnessed more action when Belsajar Horo scored the fifth goal in the 64th minute. He smartly posted the ball into the net after beating the goalkeeper.
During the dying minutes, the visiting side again fumbled and gifted a penalty comer to the home team. Taking full advantage of the foul, Gurjinder Singh again struck and scored his third and the team’s sixth goal in the 67th minute.