IOC beats Odisha, secures semifinal berth; Army downs Tamil Nadu

Indian Oil Corporation dominates in 95th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup, securing a spot in the semifinals with a 3-1 win.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has left nothing to chance this time. The former champion, which was ousted in the league stages last year, has played hard and has ticked all the boxes in the 95th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament.

Studded with many Olympians and Internationals, IOC scripted its third successive win, with a 3-1 victory over Odisha in a Pool-B contest on Wednesday, with a match to spare, and assured itself of a place in the knock-out (semifinals). From Pool-B, Odisha is the other team that has made it to the last four. Later, in the Pool-A match, Indian Army tamed Tamil Nadu 3-1 with a delectable mix of aggression and caution. However, there is no clear picture yet in Pool-A as to who will reach the semifinals.

Much was expected from Tamil Nadu after its wonderful win over Maharashtra, but it flattered to deceive against a strong Army unit. Though Army was the better side throughout, be it in attack, defence or in midfield, TN will rue its chances in the fourth quarter. Trailing 1-3 in the fourth quarter, the host had four back-to back- penalty corners, but pretty much wasted each one of them.

Pool-A: Indian Army 3 (Gaurav Bhagtani 4, Akshay Dubey 29, Chandan Aind 48) bt TN 1 (Dinesh Kumar 47).

B: IOC 3 (Sumit Kumar 18, V. R. Raghunath 28, Gujinder Singh 42) bt Odisha 1 (Sudeep Minz 19).