UP Wizards seal semifinals berth

Lucknow, February 22 

Uttar Pradesh Wizards made it to the semifinals of Hockey India League after an exciting 4-4 draw with Dabang Mumbai here today.

Uttar Pradesh Wizards will take on Kalinga Lancers while Dabang Mumbai face Delhi Waveriders in the two semifinals on Saturday.

Ajay Yadav (12th minute) and Ramandeep Singh (17th) scored field goals for the home team, while Gurjant Singh (13th) and Manpreet (19th) restored parity on both occasions.

It was total entertainment with the two teams matching each other’s game, keeping the spectators at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium riveted from hooter to hooter.

First, it was Wizards’ Ajay Yadav who scored a field goal to secure a 2-0 lead for the home team in the 12th minute. He was assisted by the experienced VR Raghunath, who did well to find Yadav.

The youngster was impeccable with a powerful shot that beat Dabang Mumbai’s experienced goalkeeper David Harte.

Dabang Mumbai caught up almost immediately when Gurjant Singh struck in the 13th minute to equalise.

It was his teammate Manpreet from the Junior World Cup winning team who did extremely well to dribble past Raghunath and Gonzalo Peillat in the circle to find Gurjant, who simply had to tap the ball into the goal.

It continued to be an open game in the second quarter too with both teams improving their performance. The home team’s forward Ramandeep showed class with a brilliant back-hander to score in the 17th minute and give his team a 4-2 lead.

He did very well to beat two defenders after a perfect assist by skipper Raghunath that sent the home crowd roaring in joy. However, the lead lasted only two minutes as Dabang Mumbai’s Manpreet equalised in the 19th minute.

At the end of the third quarter, the score continued to read 4-4. Though Uttar Pradesh Wizards dominated the quarter with the ball possession, they couldn’t quite make much of it as some of their ambitious attempts at scoring a goal were promptly denied by Dabang Mumbai’s defence. — PTI