Mumbai Mumbai. Hyderabad Hurricanes defeated Vedanta Kalinga Lancers 5-1 in a men's Hockey India League encounter at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Sunday (Gonzalo Pilate 6' and 30', Maiko Casella 21', Tim Brand 47' and Arshdeep Singh 54' Kalinga Lancers made a great start and scored a goal in the fifth minute itself. The goal was brilliantly scored from a penalty corner, which Alexander Hendricks converted brilliantly into the goal. However, their happiness did not last long as the storm retreated within a minute.

This goal was scored by experienced Gonzalo Pilate, who dodged goalkeeper Krishna Pathak and scored. Hendricks almost gave Kalinga Lancers the lead in the eighth minute, but his shot bounced off the woodwork. The Lancers won a penalty corner in the last minute of the first quarter, but it was of little use as both teams remained tied at 1-1.

The Toufens took the lead brilliantly in the 21st minute when Mako Casella scored one of the contenders for the best goal of the tournament. Zachary Wallace played a wonderful diagonal aerial pass to Casella on the right flank and the Argentinian fired a volley from the tightest angle into the roof of the net. Hyderabad scored again in the final play of the second quarter when Peillat scored his second goal through another brilliant dragflick.

The Toughens dominated the game for large parts of the third quarter, but Thierry Brinkman came close to scoring a goal for the Lancers in the 39th minute. He tried to score from a tight angle, just like Casella, but could only find the side netting. Moments later, Hendricks did well to convert a penalty corner as his strike deflected off rushers and the goalkeeper and hit the post. Tim Brand also scored in the 47th minute to give Hyderabad Toughens a comfortable 4-1 lead. Despite the big lead, Toofans did not lose their momentum and got their fifth goal in the 54th minute. In search of a goal, Lancers had taken out their goalkeeper and Arshdeep Singh took full advantage of this by putting the ball into the empty net. In this way, the Toughens registered a spectacular win and reached the second position in the Men's Hockey India League standings.