Jugraj Singh scored a brace as Shachi Rarh Bengal Tigers defeated Delhi SG Pipers 4-1 and took the top spot in the points table of the Hockey India League in Rourkela on Saturday. (Highlights | More Hockey News)
Delhi thus suffered their first outright de🧜feat in the competition as they had earlier won one game in the penalty shootout and lost the second.
Jugraj (17th, 38th) converted two penalty corner🅺s while Sukhjeet Singh (1st) and Abhishek (47th) struck from field play for Bengal Tigers for🐽 their third straight win in the competition.
Gareth Furlong scored the only goal for 🐈Delhi from a penalty corner in the 53rd minute.
Sukhjeet put Bengal T𝓀igers ahead inside the first 30 seconds to push Delhi on the backfoot. Having gained the upper hand, Bengal Tigers remained dominant to not allow Delhi any scope of a comeback in the first quarter.
Even ꧃though De𓆉lhi SG Pipers had more circle penetrations, they failed to get a shot on target.
Two minutes into the second qua🍒rter, Jugraj doubled Bengal's lead with a powerful dragflick from a penalty corner.
Delhi too had their chances when in the 22nd minute Bengal goalkeeper Jami🔯e Carr made four saves on the trot to keep his side's lead intact.
In the 27th minute, Tomas Domene came close to scoring for Delhi but hiไs deflection from a narrow angle went just outside the goalpost as Be⛄ngal went into the break leading 2-0.
Jugraj scored his second goal of the day eight minutes after the change of ends, once again converting a penalty corner to༺ the right of Delhi goalkeeper Pawan.
Two minutes into the final quarter, an unmarke♏d Abhishek scored an easy tap-in goal to make the scoreline 4-0 in Bengal Tigers favour.
Trail🍬ing by four goals, Delhi finally pulled one back in the final seven minutes through Furlong's penalty corner conversion.
