For the shootout, Dragons and Toofans produced a rollercoaster that was played at breakneck speed. Uttam Singh (4′), Thomas Sorsby (9′) and Karthi Selvam (32′) scored for Dragons, while Amandeep Lakra (12′, 18′) and Arthur De Sloover (37′) scored for last year’s finalists Toofans.
The standout moments from the match came from Amandeep, who showed why his drag moves are so highly regarded. In Gonzalo Peillat’s absence this season, with the legendary drag flicker ruled out due to injury, Amandeep hit the ground running straight away, scoring from two powerful moves after Dragons had taken a 2-0 lead in the first quarter.
Then came a contender for goal of the season as midfielder Tom Craig produced a full diving pass into midfield to keep the movement flowing, before local boy Karthi Selvam came up with a diving finish. Toofans’ equalizer was also something beautiful, because De Sloover finished from an angle of almost zero.
While both goalkeepers – David Harte and Jean Paul Danneberg – made big saves, Amandeep’s most telling defensive contribution came in the final moments of the match. With less than 10 seconds to go, Dragons launched a blistering counter-attack with a long, deft pass into the circle, but the Toofans youngster quickly crossed and launched himself forward with his outstretched stick to block the pass, celebrating it as a goal scored. It certainly earned his team a point that evening.
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