New Delhi: Delhi Wizards started of their World Series Hockey campaign on a winning note as they defeated Karnataka Lions 3-2 in Major Dhyanchand National Stadium here on Friday.
Wizards looked a much better side than the Lions and dominated the match from the initial moments and drew the first blood in the second minute when Vikramjeet scored off a penalty corner awarded to them.
The Lions spearheaded by veterans Arjun Hallapa and four time Olympian Dhanraj Pillai failed to leave any impression and their charisma failed to contain the Wizards and were found wanting most of the times.
Wizards, who showed better skill and pace, soon piled up on to Lions’s miseries as they scored the second goal of the match in the 19th minute when Pakistani forward Shakeel Abbasi flicked a pass of German Philip Sunkel from the left flank to find the nets.
The teams went into the breather with a scoreline of 2-0 and after the change of ends battle turned intense with the Lions turning on the heat this time. Dhanraj Pillai, who did involve himself much with the Lion’s affair on the field, however scored the first one for them in 36th minute. The goal filled them with sudden burst of energy and they started firing on all cylinders and got the equaliser in the 48th minute when Ravipal fired in a powerful shot from top of the circle after receiving a pass from the skipper Hallapa.
With scores level, the match was poised for an exciting finish with both teams trying hard, but as luck would have it Wizards prevailed and captain Raajpal’s 51st minute strike, which eventually turned out to be the winning goal, ensured that the handful of Delhi fans that gathered in the stadium to see the match did no go home disappointed.
The Wizards will now take on the Pune Strykers tommorow in their next match at the same venue while Lions will travel to Jalandhar to face Sher-E-Punjab.
Wizard’s coach Roelant Oltman did not look completely satisfied with the outcome and said, “I am happy about the win but not that satisfied with the performance. They could have done better and require improvement in certain areas.”
Captain Rajpal Singh, who was given the man of the match award, said that he was happy with the win but did not want to get carried away with it as it was their first match of the tournament and all they would do is better their performance.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News Network
