Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons climbed to the top of the Men’s Hero Hockey India League (HIL) standings with a hard-earned 3–2 victory over JSW Soorma Hockey Club at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Egmore, on Tuesday.
Dominant for long stretches of the contest, the Dragons were made to dig deep in the closing minutes as Soorma mounted a spirited comeback, but the hosts showed composure under pressure to secure consecutive wins in Chennai. Goals from Selvaraj Kanagaraj (28’), Uttam Singh (30’) and Blake Govers (47’) gave the Dragons control of the match, while Maninder Singh (45’) and captain Harmanpreet Singh (58’) ensured a nervy finish for the table-toppers.
The opening quarter set the tone for what was to be a tightly contested encounter. Soorma began with patient build-up play in their own half, looking to draw the Dragons out of shape, but the hosts pressed aggressively from the outset. Within the first minute, Dragons forced an early save from goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch, signalling their intent. Both teams entered the circle regularly but struggled to create clear-cut chances, with defences largely on top.
Dragons captain Amit Rohidas attempted to drive forward in the 10th minute, but the move fizzled out due to a lack of support. The first penalty corner of the match arrived in the 12th minute for the Dragons, though Soorma defended resolutely through Victor Wegnez. As the intensity increased, Harjeet Singh was shown a green card, but the quarter ended scoreless, with neither side able to seize control.
The second quarter saw the Dragons gradually impose themselves. Sander Kauffman’s probing run earned another penalty corner, but Blake Govers was denied by a sharp save from Vanasch, and the rebound came to nothing. Moments later, Karthik surged down the flank and found Nathan inside the circle, only for the effort to drift wide.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 28th minute. A well-worked move down the right saw Chandan Yadav time his pass perfectly for Selvaraj Kanagaraj, who finished clinically to give the Dragons a deserved lead. The goal lifted the home side, and they capitalised again just before the halftime hooter. With Gurjant Singh in the sin bin following a green card, Uttam Singh made the numerical advantage count, unleashing a fine reverse hit in the 30th minute to double the Dragons’ lead and put them firmly in command at the break.
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JSW Soorma emerged with renewed purpose after halftime, determined to claw their way back into the contest. On his birthday, captain Harmanpreet Singh led by example, winning their first penalty corner in the 36th minute, though the opportunity went begging. Akashdeep Singh tested the Dragons defence from a tight angle soon after, while the hosts remained disciplined at the back.
Soorma’s best chance of the third quarter came in the 42nd minute when Vivek Prasad found space inside the circle, but Dragons goalkeeper David Harte reacted superbly to keep the effort out. Drama followed at the other end when Nathan Ephramus thought he had scored for the Dragons, only for the goal to be disallowed for a backstick. The momentum swung decisively in the dying seconds of the quarter. From the resulting free hit, Harmanpreet floated a ball into the circle, and the loose deflection fell kindly for Maninder Singh, who fired home with just one second left on the clock. After a referral, the goal was awarded, cutting the deficit to 2–1 and injecting belief into the Soorma camp.
That belief carried into the final quarter, with Soorma pressing high and asking serious questions of the Dragons defence. Harte was called into action once again and stood tall under pressure. However, against the run of play, the Dragons delivered a decisive blow. Tom Craig produced a superb run from deep and slipped a precise pass into the circle for Blake Govers, who kept his composure to finish calmly in the 47th minute and restore the two-goal cushion at 3–1. Soorma refused to surrender and threw everything forward in the closing stages.
A flurry of penalty corners followed, with Rohidas making a crucial block to deny Harmanpreet in the 56th minute, and Harte pulling off another vital save soon after. The Soorma captain finally found his moment in the 58th minute, converting a powerful drag-flick to reduce the margin to 3–2 and set up a tense finale.
The final minutes were played at a frantic pace as Soorma earned two more penalty corners, but the Dragons’ defence held firm. Under sustained pressure, the hosts showed maturity and discipline to see out the match, sealing a result that takes them to the top of the Men’s Hero Hockey India League table with five points.
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All matches of the Hero Hockey India League are being broadcast live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and DD Sports, with live streaming available on Waves and the Hockey India League YouTube channel.
