Rourkela, Jan 7: The Vedanta Kalinga Lancers secured their first win of Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 as they hammered the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers 6-0 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday. Thierry Brinkman (3` and 47`), Sanjay (6`), Alexander Hendrickx (9`), Nicolas Bandurak (29`) and Boby Singh Dhami (49`) scored for the Kalinga Lancers.

It was a match between two sides at the opposite ends of the points table with the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers at the top having won all three of their matches before on Tuesday. The Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, on the other hand, have lost two and drawn one of their three matches. That was to change by the end of the match as the Kalinga Lancers finally got their campaign up and running.

The Lancers got off to a lightning-quick start as they took a 2-0 lead inside the first four minutes. Thierry Brinkman was key to the home side’s perfect start as he scored the opener and won a penalty corner from which the second goal came.

In the third minute, the star Dutch forward ghosted unmarked into the circle and was well-spotted by Dilpreet Singh with a nice pass. Goalkeeper Jamie Carr rushed out to close down the angle but Brinkman managed to squeeze his shot into the goal.

A minute later, Brinkman won the first penalty corner of the match. Alexander Hendrickx’s drag flick was saved by Carr but Sanjay was the quickest to react as he smashed the rebound into the back of the goal. It went from bad to worse for the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers as they gave away another penalty corner in the sixth minute. This time, Hendrickx aimed and found the top right corner to give the Lancers a 3-0 lead in just six minutes.

Before the match, the Lancers had boasted the worst penalty corner conversion percentage of all teams in the Hockey India League at just 16%. But they changed that number on Tuesday and coach Valentin Altenburg should be really happy at the end of the day.

The Lancers won their third penalty corner in the 11th minute but Carr made a good save to keep out Hendrickx’s drag flick. The Tigers had more possession and more circle penetrations but apart from a Sukhjeet Singh attempt, they barely had anything to show for their efforts. Hendrickx had a chance to double his tally for the night right at the end of the first quarter but saw his drag flick blocked by the Tigers’ rushers.

The Tigers began the second quarter on the front foot winning their first penalty corner of the match. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak saved Jugraj Singh’s attempt before saving Rupinder Pal Singh’s powerful shot. The ball came to Abhishek but the India forward sent his shot just wide of the post. Dilpreet came within inches of making it 4-0 in the 21st minute as he created space for himself in the circle before unleashing a fierce tomahawk shot which cannoned back off the post.

The Lancers got their fourth goal in the 29th minute with Brinkman once again creating the goal. The Dutchman got the ball on the left in the circle and fired it towards goal. Nicolas Bandurak poked his stick right in front of Tigers defender Jasjit Singh Kular to deflect it into the goal.

In the third quarter, the Tigers had the first big chance in the 35th minute. Sukhjeet Singh stole the ball from Arthur van Doren high up the pitch and sprung the counter. He made his way to the 23m line before offloading the ball to Affan Yousuf to his right. Pathak did well to charge off the line and take the sting out of Yousuf’s shot before Hendrickx came back to shepherd the ball away from the goal.

Pathak was called into action in the 40th minute as the Indian goalkeeper made a solid save to keep out Jugraj Singh’s drag-flick. The Lancers nearly made it 5-0 at the other end as Gursahibjit Singh deflected Brinkman’s cross into the side net from a good angle.

Dilpreet spurned a golden chance to score the Lancers’ fifth in the 43rd minute as he failed to connect with the ball with the whole goal at his mercy. The Lancers did not have to wait long for their fifth goal. This time it was Bandurak who turned provider as he played a clever reverse pass on the left which set Brinkman free. The Dutchman ran along the goalline before finishing past Carr in the 47th minute.

Boby Singh Dhami joined the party as he made it 6-0 for the Lancers in the 49th minute. The young Indian forward got the ball on the edge of the circle and with his back to goal, found the bottom corner with a stunning tomahawk shot. The Tigers created a couple of half chances but did not really trouble the Lancers as the home side picked up their first win of the season. With the win, the Lancers have climbed to fifth while the Tigers stay on top of the points table.
Player of the Match Krishan Bahadur Pathak said, “We were not good at defending penalty corners in the previous matches but we improved today. Our forwards were also clinical today as they created chances whenever they made circle entries”. (IANS)

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