Premier Handball League: Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh record their first victory, edging out Garvit Gujarat in an entertaining encounter

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India] June 16 : Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh recorded their first victory in the Premier Handball League as they defeated Garvit Gujarat in a match that ended 34-28 in their favour on Thursday.

Match 15 of the inaugural season of the Premier Handball League saw Garvit Gujarat take on winless Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh. Both teams were looking for a quick start to the game as they were matching each other blow for blow in the opening minutes of the game.

The Golden Eagles however were able to establish a lead thanks to some lethal finishing by Sukhveer Singh Brar, Harjinder Singh and Jyotiram Bhushan Shinde. Uttar Pradesh further extended their lead after some phenomenal saves by Omid Reza in their goal. Despite the best efforts of Avin Khatkar and Harender Singh Nain Gujarat were struggling to score consistently.

By the 15th minute the Golden Eagles were leading as the scores read 9-6 in their favour. Gujarat were trying to contain Sukhveer in attack but to little effect as the Golden Eagles' number 11 was still able to unleash venomous shots despite the intense marking. Tarun Thakur of Gujarat was also struggling to find his finishing touch in attack, which allowed Uttar Pradesh to establish a healthy lead. Soon after the first period ended as the scores read 17-11 in favour of the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh.

Garvit Gujarat started the second half aggressively as Harender Singh Nain was showcasing his brute force in attack to cut short the deficit. Unfortunately for Gujarat, the Golden Eagles found another gear in attack as Sanchit Kumar came off the bench to add another dimension to his team going forward. IN turn The Golden Eagles further extended their lead. Omid Reza in the Uttar Pradesh goal was putting on a masterclass as he was making astounding reflex saves to help his team pull away further from Gujarat.

Halfway through the second half the Golden Eagles had established a considerable lead as the scores read 25-18 in their favour while Gujarat were floundering in attack. The Gujarat players looked deflated going into the last 10 minutes of the game. Captain of Garvit Gujarat Avin Khatkar also came off with a slight knock which dulled Gujarat's attack further. In the dying embers of the game Omid Reza stepped out from his goal and made his way forward to score a stunning goal to put the tie to bed. The match ended immediately after as the scores read 34-28 in favour of the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh.

Harjinder Singh of the Golden Eagles emerged as the top scorer for his team with 10 goals, while Harender Singh Nain of Garvit Gujarat was the top scorer for his team with 5 goals. Omid Reza was adjudged to be the best player of the match for his phenomenal saves for the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh, he even scored a stunning goal in the game and saved two penalties.