Clinical Wizards beat Rhinos 2-0 in HIL

A superb reverse hit by Jeroen Hertzberger and a penalty corner conversion by skipper VR Raghunath was good enough to earn Uttar Pradesh Wizards full points from the home game.

The win took Wizards to 12 points, same as Delhi Waveriders, but they are on top of the points table due to a better goal difference.

The first half saw a battle between two sides that were trying to stamp their supremacy on the match.

In the opening period, both the teams were solid at the back and in the mid-field, and as a result, good moves were few and far between.

Mandeep Singh constantly tried to break the Wizards' defence, his first good move being blocked well by Harbir Singh.

Mandeep was at his best once again, with the half-time whistle just a couple of minutes away. Beating a couple of defenders, Mandeep got really close to the Wizards' post, eventually earning a penalty corner but to no avail.

The third quarter was dominated by Uttar Pradesh Wizards by actively putting pressure on the Rhinos.

First, it was Jolie Wouter in the 37th minute, when he tried an ambitious reverse hit from the right, with the ball flying over the goal-post.

Five minutes later, Jeroen Hertzberger came up with the hosts' first real threat on Rhinos goal, with his very well struck reverse hit being saved well by goalkeeper Francisco Cortes. MORE