Murugappa Gold Cup: IOC triumphs over Army, set to face Railways in final

Former champion Indian Oil Corporation is well-versed in managing high-pressure situations. Facing an Army side, playing, probably at its best, IOC showcased its class by securing a 3-2 win in the semifinals of the 95th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament here on Saturday.

In the other semifinal, defending champion Indian Railways outplayed Odisha 4-0, courtesy of a hat-trick by Joginder Singh, to advance to the final.

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The match between the IOC and the Army drew significant attention. After a back-and-forth struggle that saw no goals scored in the first two quarters, IOC struck unexpectedly in the third. Aarman Qureshi netted the first goal with a sliding push off a pass from Gujinder Singh. IOC, then doubled its lead at the start of the fourth quarter when Sumit Kumar converted a rebound from a penalty corner.

At that point, things looked challenging for the Army. However, Cyril Lugun’s goal from a penalty stroke provided the much-needed boost. During this period, the Army was relentless, attacking IOC from both flanks and earning three penalty corners. Unfortunately, it was unable to convert any of those opportunities.

IOC managed to score its third goal through another stroke by Gujinder, which did not dampen the Army’s spirit. They earned three back-to-back penalty corners, with the last one resulting in a stroke. Cyril’s successful conversion brought renewed energy to the Army camp. In the final two minutes, the Army gave it its all, but the IOC was resolute and refused to relent.

The results (Semifinals):

Railways 4 (Joginder Singh 1, 38 & 43, Yuvraj Walmiki 16) bt Odisha 0.

IOC 3 (Aarman Qureshi 36, Sumit Kumar 46, Gujinder Singh 55) bt Indian Army 2 (Cyril Lugun 2).