WSH: Pune stun leaders Punjab 3-2

Pune: Drag-flicker Gurpreet Singh struck twice as hosts Pune Strykers stunned table-toppers Sher-E-Punjab 3-2 in a pulsating World Series Hockey [WSH] match here on Tuesday night.

Vikas Pillay (12th) and Gurpreet Singh (29th and 31st) scored for Pune, while Bikramjit Singh (6th) and Gagan Ajit Singh (63rd) sounded the board for Punjab.

For a team that impressed in the first round but slipped to mediocrity, the 3-2 win against the title favourites will no doubt boost Pune tremendously.

It was, however, Punjab's young star Bikramjit Singh who drew the first blood when he stunned the home crowd by converting the first penalty corner [PC] to post the opening goal of the match.

But Pune came back strongly with some exhilarating display of grit and skill. Livewire Vikas Pillay, who moments before had missed a sitter set up by Argentine import Mario Almada, was accurate in his penalty stroke to get the equaliser.

The stroke was awarded after PC expert Gurpreet's drag flick hit Mathew Hotchkis on the right leg. The hosts could have added another before the end of the first quarter but the goal was disallowed after a video referral.

Almada had bounced on to a rebound to strike the ball into the goal but the video referral turned it down on grounds that Almada's push had struck the foot of team-mate Roshan Minz before crossing the goal line.

But a rival's leg came to the rescue of Pune shortly. Gurpreet's next penalty corner hit Punjab's Prabhdeep Singh Powar on his left leg and got deflected into the net. A couple of minutes later, Gurpreet struck through a gem of a PC conversion to put Pune ahead 3-1.

The second half witnessed a change in Punjab's approach as they came all out and earned half a dozen PCs, but Punjab were stonewalled by Pune goalkeeper and his band of defenders.

Gagan Ajit Singh then reduced the margin with just seven minutes left for the hooter. Gurpreet, instead of negotiating on his own that proved his team's undoing in the second session, mis-passed to Gagan on the circle line.

The opportunistic Punjab striker pounced on the chance and aimed into the right corner of the net where it landed after hitting Vikas' stick.

The favourites had a golden chance to equalise after bagging a PC seconds before the hooter but they lacked precision and Pune managed to survive those tense moments.