Defending champions Jaypee Punjab Warriors register their first victory in HIL 2017 by beating home team Ranchi Rays (7-0)
For Punjab Warriors the stars were Mink Weerden (25′), SV Sunil (26′ and 34′), Jake Whetton (43′) who ensured that their team registers 5 points on the table.
| Date | Match | Home | Score | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Feb-17 | 11 | Ranchi Rays | 0 – 7 | Punjab Warriors | Birsa Munda Football Stdm |
Playing in front of the home ground and crowd of Ranchi, it was always going to be difficult. Both the teams played at a good place and Punjab Warriors were eager to overcome the loss against Dabang Mumbai in their first encounter.
Jaypee Punjab Warriors forward SV Sunil rose to the occasion and used his pace brilliantly to score a couple of goals. Along with Jake Whetton he worked a beautiful combination to penetrate the circle that yielded a superb field goal in the 26th minute to put the visitors ahead by 3-0.
Returning from the ten-minute break at half-time, the visitors didn’t take too long to put pressure on Ranchi Rays with yet another field goal taking their lead to a comfortable 5-0. It was SV Sunil who struck again, stunning the home crowd, with an unconventional goal in the 34th minute.
Ranchi Rays were reeling under the double strike and never actually recovered from that though they did have a couple of good chances. The match ended with the final score reading 7-0 in Jaypee Punjab Warrior’s favor.