Rourkela (Odisha): Table-toppers Tamil Nadu Dragons held their nerve in the final quarter and notched up a 3-2 win over Delhi SG Pipers in an exciting Hockey India League (HIL) match here Monday.
Tomas Domene struck as early as the second minute to put the Pipers ahead in the game.
But Jip Janssen opened the scoring for Dragons in the sixth minute, Nathan Ephraums added a second with an excellent effort in the 19th minute, and Blake Govers scored a third in the 21st minute as their team took complete control of the match.
Domene scored his second of the match when he went to the right side and found the target in the 37th minute to raise hopes of a comeback by the Pipers.
David Harte, the 36-year-old seasoned goalkeeper from Ireland, denied the Pipers on numerous occasions to keep his team’s one-goal lead intact.
At the half time, the Dragons looked poised to win the game after scoring three goals in a span of 15 minutes.
By the time the first quarter ended, Delhi SG Pipers made nine circle penetrations while Tamil Nadu Dragons could only make five.
By striking the equaliser for the Dragons, drag-flicker Janssen became the highest scorer of HIL 2024-25 with five goals.
Delhi seemed desperate for an equaliser in a final quarter in which they made back-to-back runs in Dragons’ half and also enjoyed their fair share of possession.
However, they were not able to make use of their circle penetrations, which has been a major cause of concern for the team this season.
With this victory, Tamil Nadu Dragons consolidated their position at the top of the table with 15 points, while Delhi continued to remain winless and at the bottom of the standings.
