HIL: Tamil Nadu Dragons pips Team Gonasika in 11-goal thriller

Tamil Nadu Dragons secured a thrilling 6-5 win over Team Gonasika in match 15 of the Hockey India League (HIL), at Rourkela on Wednesday.

After going down 0-2 in the opening minutes of the match, TN Dragons stormed back into the match and after a rollercoaster second half, the Dragons, riding on the back of defender Jim Janssen's hattrick, took away the win thanks to Karthi Selvam's winner.

With that win, TN Dragons make it back-to-back victories in the HIL and climb to the second spot in the table with nine points from four matches, whereas Team Gonasikas remain in sixth place.

A dream start for Gonasika but Dragons fight back

Team Gonasika got off to a dream start, with Araijeet Singh putting the team 2-0 up within the opening seven minutes.

They pressed the Dragon defense relentlessly and were completely dominating the match but TN Dragons got one back from the penalty corner right before the end of the first quarter.

The Dragons then proceeded to level things up thanks to another penalty corner, this time Jip Janssen, and he scored once more after halftime to give the Dragons the lead for the first time.

Despite the setback, Gonasika pushed on, and took back their lead in the 43rd minute, thanks to goals from Chandanda Nikkin Thimmaiah and Struan Walker.

Dragons breathe fire in the final quarter

The last fifteen minutes of the match, however, was all Tamil Nadu Dragons, as they once again made a comeback by scoring two goals in the space of five minutes and took a 5-4 lead.

But Team Gonasika hadn't given up yet. Timothee Clement's superb strike all but confirmed the match's decision towards a shootout in the 58th minute but right after kickoff, Tamil Nadu's very own Karthi Selvam scored a brilliant solo goal and gave the Dragons a 6-5 lead.

That scoreline ultimately proved to be the final scoreline, drawing curtains on a thrilling contest between the two sides.