The Delhi Waveriders defeated the Ranchi rays 2-0 to win the bronze medal at the 2016 edition of the Hockey India League in Ranchi on Sunday.
The opening quarter saw both teams begin slowly, but it was Rays who got the first chance at goal, receiving a penalty corner. However, they failed to convert the chance to keep it 0-0. It was then Delhi who had a chance to take the lead in the contest, but Rupinder Pal Singh, who was playing his 50th Hockey India League match, couldn't give the lead to his side and it remained 0-0 at the end of the first quarter.
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The second quarter saw Delhi begin with an attacking mindset and with 12 minutes left on the clock, that style of play paid off as Mandeep Singh fired a reverse flick over the top of the goalkeeper Tyler Lovell to give the Waveriders a vital 2-0 in the match.
Expectedly, the Rays, on the back foot, looked to go on the attack to nail the equalizer but couldn't quite do so and the scoreline read 2-0 in favour the Waveriders at the end of the opening half.
The third quarter began in a slow manner but started to gain momentum steadily as both teams looked to press home advantage. The Rays were dealt a blow when Manpreet Singh injured his left knee and had to be carried off the pitch as the quarter finished with Delhi still leading 3-0.
The fourth quarter began in a similar fashion to the third as the Waveriders held most of the possession in the early part of the quarter and even as the Rays tried as much as they could, in the end, it proved to be too much for them and the visitors won the match and with that the bronze medal as well.
