BR Ambedkar Hockey: Hoshangabad edge past Itsari in dying minutes of the match
September 6, 2019, Pune
In a nail-biting fourth quarter, two teams from Madhya Pradesh went head-to-head during the Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial All India Hockey Tournament in Balewadi on Thursday. Hoshangabad defeated Itarsi 3-2 after seizing a goal to gain the lead in the opening game of the league phase, which includes a total of five teams.
The encounter between the two neighbouring teams from Madhya Pradesh was evenly matched. Hoshangabad’s Amit was the first to launch an attack, but it was well saved by the Itarsi keeper Swapnil. Itarsi’s goalkeeper Swapnil made three consecutive saves to deny Hoshangabad the lead as the scoreline was deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of the second quarter. Towards the end of the third quarter, Hoshangabad won their first penalty corner of the game. The ball reached Durgesh who smashed a powerful shot past the Itarsi defence and levelled the game again. In the fourth and final quarter of the game, both teams looked equally matched. Spectators experienced a cagey game in the final quarter. On the counter, Hoshangabad won their second penalty corner of the game. Mohammad Siraj received the ball and made no mistake in converting his opportunity and giving his side the lead for the first time in the game, two minutes away from the final whistle.
Hoshangabad held on to the advantage and bagged a win in their first game of the tournament.
