Lone-goal win for Dynamos

Nitin Kumar, Hyderabad Sultan defender, had blocked a Prabhjot Singh attempt inside the D, and umpire VB Sing had no hesitation in awarding a penalty stroke. Sandeep grabbed the opportunity to give his team a winning start in the tournament.

The Hyderabad team had their chances, specially after the break. Sardara Singh and Bikas Toppo brought about some smart moves, but they faield to sound the board.

The first half saw both teams playing cautiously and had an almost equal share in ball possession. Surprisingly, the match saw only one penalty corner earned by Dynamos. It came in the 10th minute, but they could not covert it.

However, their forwards, led by Prabhjot Singh, Deepak Thakur and Rajpal Singh, made occasional forays into the rival defence, but failed to convert their chances into goals.

A good number of spectators turned up for the match, braving the cold weather, and the local team did not disappoint them.

Meanwhile, legendary Australian player Ric Charlesworth, said the immediate future of the Indian squad isn8217;t bright at all. 8220;Sometimes the process will move fast and sometimes slower. What is important that we climb one step at a time. Only then maybe will be among the top three in another five years,8221; he said. Charlesworth, who is Indian hockey8217;s technical adviser, was here to watch the PHL match.

8220;There is a great deal to do. At this moment, I will not be able to say what the priorities are. There is no starting point and a range of things have to be done,8221; he said.