Sultans come back via Deedar hattrick

It was the shy and unassuming Deedar Singh who proved to be the saviour of Hyderabad Sultans in the second Tier I match of the Premier Hocke...

It was the shy and unassuming Deedar Singh who proved to be the saviour of Hyderabad Sultans in the second Tier I match of the Premier Hockey League (PHL) here today. The lanky forward netted three goals to help the reigning champions come from behind to defeat Bangalore Lions 3-2 in a riveting battle at Sector 42 Hockey Stadium.

The Sultans got off to bad start and speedy Lions, bolstered by Pakistani striker Rehan Butt, had the upper hand. The Lions got their first goal in the 13th minute when Spaniard Jordi Quintana sent the ball past Sultans custodian Salman Akbar with a clean push. The goal drew listless response from the Sultans as Lions’ Tushar Khandekar, Rehan Butt and Arjun Hallappa ruled.

Sultans defenders Dilip Tirkey and Lazarus Barla were tested often even as Hyderabad strikers Jorge Lombi, the Argentine import, and Pakistan’s Shakeel Abbasi looked off colour. Livewire Rehan showed his class by sending in a pass from Tushar to put Lions 2-0 up.

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The third quarter proved unlucky for Sultans, failing to cash in on three consecutive penalty corners out of the total nine they earned in the game.

It all happened in the final quarter. A high, clean drag-flick on a penalty from Deedar got Sultans their first goal in the 54th minute. Nine minutes later he rolled in another to make it 2-2.

The match went into extra time and the Sultans, more confident now, were more aggressive. Off a corner in the 76th minute Deedar hit Jordi Qunitana on the head as Sultans were awarded a stroke. Deedar made no mistake.

Earlier, in Tier II, Chennai Veerans trounced Lucknow Nawabs 5-1.