IOC upsets Army XI, enters semifinals

Chennai, Dec 23 (UNI) Formidable Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) struck once in each half to score a facile 2-0 win over defending champions Army XI and enter the semifinals of the 83rd All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey tournament here today.

Skipper Deepak Thakur put IOC ahead in the 14th minute and Raghu Prasad came up with a superb drag flick off a penalty corner 11 minutes into the second half to seal the fate of the Army XI.

Packed with some big names like Prabhjot Singh, Deepak Thakur and Viren Rasquinha, the IOC played to a set plan and had the better of exchanges.

A couple of swift counters by the Army only caused a ripple among the goodly crowd as the champion outfit lacked finishing.

Meanwhile, a superb finish by Deepak Thakur off a cross from the right from Didar Singh put IOC ahead.

It was a good move and Didar weaved past a host of defenders and passed to Deepak, who managed to tap the ball home amid a melee. He showed fine opportunism to drag the ball out and tap it home.

The second goal by IOC virtually took the stuff out of Army team, which found wanting.

A couple of good moves went abegging as Suresh Kumar and Ajit Kumar Majhi failed to provide the finishing touches.

Army also pressed hare and earned five penalty corners, but none of them were productive.

With 10 minutes remaining for the hooter to go, IOC were reduced to ten players when Raghu Prasad was given yellow card for an infringement on an Army player. But it hardly altered the outcome as IOC tropped out deserving winners.

UNI GV AJ AY RK1815