Indian Air Force to face RCF team in hockey final

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, September 22

Edging out Electrical Mechanical Engineering (EME), Jalandhar, the Indian Air Force team, the last year winner of All India Baba Farid Hockey Tournament, entered the final of the tournament 4-1 in the semi-final match on Saturday.

Air Force will now square off against RCF, Kapurthala, who beat Indian Navy, Mumbai, 2-1 on Saturday. RCF emerged as the runner-up last year, losing the cup to EME. Now both RCF and Indian Air Force will leave no stone unturned to chase their dream of winning the mega event of the 27th All India Baba Farid Hockey Gold Cup on Sunday.

In the semi-final match, the Air Force team played aggressively right from the start. Their first breakthrough in the first half at 16th minute of the match came when Nitish Kiro of the team made a field goal. This goal was followed by two circle entry fetched by the team at the 42nd and 56th minute in the second half of the match.

It was Navdeep Singh who stepped up for the drag flick two times and he was impeccable and fierce both times as he improvised the injection to flick the balls past EME and earn Air Force 3-0 lead. These three goals undoubtedly put the EME on the back foot and this position was not allowing EME to make easy forays into Air Force’s circle till 68th minute.

Around 12 minutes before the match, EME team earned a penalty corner and Jagat Mandapa of the team was able to put the ball past the Air Force goal post, opening its account with one goal.

In the second semi-final match played between RCF and Indian Navy, the Indian Navy was first to won the goal in 14th minute when the team was successful in dragging a penalty corner, it earned to ball past RCF. For the next 51 minutes, both teams did not drop their momentum to giving a chance to opponent until Sandeep Singh of Rail Coach Factory made a field goal.

Continuing its attack swiftly and tactically, the RCF earned a penalty corner in 68th minute and Baljinder Singh of the team was able to convert it into a goal, earning his team a winning score of 2-1.