Railways Edge BPCL in Thrilling Hockey Semifinal Qualifier
Defending champions Indian Railways secured a thrilling 5-4 victory over former champions BPCL in the 95th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament on Wednesday. The hard-fought match was filled with twists and turns, keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats.
Railways dominated the early stages of the game, taking a 4-2 lead going into the fourth quarter. However, BPCL refused to go down without a fight, forcing three consecutive penalty corners at the start of the quarter. Railways’ defense held firm, but BPCL’s relentless attack paid off as former international Devender Walmiki scored a brace within three minutes to equalize.
Just when it seemed like BPCL would snatch a draw, Railways’ Darshan Gawkar delivered the decisive blow in the dying minutes of the match. The goal sent shockwaves through the BPCL camp and secured Railways’ place in the semifinals.
In the other Pool-A match, Indian Army defeated Maharashtra 2-1 to join Railways in the last four. Cyril Lugun and Akshay Dubey scored for Army, while Venkatesh Kenche netted a consolation goal for Maharashtra.
The semifinalists from Pool-B are IOC and Odisha. IOC defeated Central Secretariat 6-1, while Odisha beat Karnataka 6-4.
