Railways edge Indian Army 2-1 in Pool-A of 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup

Indian Railways beat Indian Army 2-1 in a Pool-A match of the 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup at the SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Friday, with Yogember Rawat’s 57th-minute drag-flick providing the decisive goal. The three-time defending champions were not at their fluent best but held on for victory.

Indian Railways (RSPB) entered the game as the tournament’s three-time defending champion, while the match formed part of Pool-A in the 97th edition of the competition. Railways displayed notable defensive work but their forward play lacked the usual cutting edge. Indian Army pressed higher and appeared to advance with greater purpose for much of the contest.

The opening goal came in the 12th minute when Lovepreet Singh, following a penalty corner, positioned himself in front of the goal and deflected Jasjit Singh’s drag-flick past the goalkeeper. That strike put Railways ahead early in the match.

In the second quarter, a penalty-corner routine ended with Pratap Lakra’s drag-flick striking Rahul’s arm on the goal-line and earning Railways a penalty stroke. Lakra took the stroke but his attempt struck the crossbar and did not produce a goal.

Army levelled the score in the 28th minute when Ankush tapped in from close range to restore parity. Later in the fourth quarter Railways missed two further penalty-corner opportunities as Lakra’s flicks were stopped by the goalkeeper.

The match-winner arrived in the 57th minute when Yogember Rawat converted Lovepreet’s penalty-corner delivery with a drag-flick past the goalkeeper, securing a 2-1 victory for Railways. Without that late strike the match would have finished level.

In Pool-B action, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. defeated Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 5-1, with Devindar Walmiki scoring in the 4th minute from a penalty corner, Mandeep Singh in the 5th and 57th minutes, Subhan Abid in the 24th and Charanjeet Singh in the 54th, while K. Muthukumar scored for Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu in the 49th minute.