Impressive PNB beats ONGC in Murugappa Gold Cup

Punjab National Bank (PNB) handed Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) a 5-2 defeat in a Pool "B" match of the 91st All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament here today.
In another match in the same pool, Hockey Odisha got the better of Central Secretariat Hockey Team 3-2 in a battle between two bottom placed teams.
PNB took the lead in the 12th minute through a goal by Gagandeep Singh and increased the margin five minutes later when Gurjinder Singh scored.
Another goal by Gurjinder in the 25th minute and one by Gagandeep in the 35th meant PNB were 4-0 up at the break.

In the second half, ONGC tried to salvage things and fought back with strikes from Mitilesh (54th minute) and Diwakar Ram (56th), through penalty corner conversions.
Gurjinder got his third goal of the match, to seal an emphatic 5-2 win, to take it to the top of the group with nine points from three games.

In the other match of the day, the Odisha team found the back of net, when Sanjay Xalxo shot home in the 10th minute. Sudhir Kujur increased the tally in the 22nd minute.
Shanmugham reduced the lead by scoring in the 25th minute.
However, Kujur's penalty corner conversion in the 32nd appeared to have put the game out of Central Secretariat's grasp.

The Delhi outfit reduced the margin to 2-3 through Sivamani in the 67th minute.