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A second-half comeback inspired by a brilliant defence saw the Haryana Steelers edge out the Gujarat Giants 34-30 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi on Friday.
Mohit and Mohit Nandal's four points apiece and a defence that took an outstanding 14 tackle points roused the Haryana Steelers to fourth on the table. A resurgent Fazel Atrachali's 7-point game came in a losing cause. Keeping with current form, the Haryana Steelers started off quicker off the blocks and soon had the Gujarat Giants thin on numbers on the mat. It was apt then that for two teams defined by stout defences, it would be a SUPER TACKLE that would start the highlights package of the evening. For the Giants, it was doubly welcome coming as it did from Fazel Atrachali, a superstar who has looked devoid of his shine over the past week. It proved to spark the fire in an old hand, who went on to star for his team on the night. The tackle sparked a resurgence among the Giants and then soon inflicted the first all out of the game, with eight minutes of the half left to take a 15-7 lead. They would go into the break leading by a massive 11 points -- their defence logging twice as many as the raiders -- and looked comfortable to break their indifferent form. The Steelers replied brilliantly in the second period though to spark an unlikely comeback for the ages. Having reduced the Giants' numbers yet again did not repeat the mistakes of the first half. Despite suffering a super tackle from Vinay that sparked a brief Giants resurgence, the Steelers registered an all out to reduce the gap to 24-19 and set up an electric final quarter of the game. An inspired Haryana Steelers defence riding high on confidence took the Giants into deep water very quickly in the final quarter of the game and got a second all out with two minutes to play to take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. They never let go of it this time to take the win. (ANI)
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