Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons registered a thrilling 5-4 shootout victory against SG Pipers after both teams were tied 4-4 at the end of regulation time in the Men’s Hero Hockey India League 2025–26 match on Friday. The match was played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai.

In the shootout, Dragons goalkeeper Princedeep Singh conceded four penalty strokes, all of which were converted by Tomas Domene. However, his crucial save against Roman Duvekot proved decisive, helping the Dragons clinch the tie-break 5-4.

Rohidas Opens Scoring with Smart Variation

SG Pipers created the first attacking chance, but it was the Dragons who struck first. In the sixth minute, Tom Craig was brought down by Ky Willot, earning a penalty corner.

From the set piece, Dragons captain Amit Rohidas surprised everyone. He shaped for a dragflick but instead struck the ball upright into the left corner, beating goalkeeper Tomas Santiago to give his side the lead.

Soon after, the Dragons thought they had doubled their advantage in the 10th minute. A loose ball fell kindly for Nathan Ephraums, who finished well. However, a video referral overturned the decision due to a foul in the build-up.

Domene Levels with Powerful Tomahawk

SG Pipers found the equaliser in the 13th minute. A goal-line clearance by David Harte landed at Tomas Domene’s stick at the top of the circle. The Argentine spun to his left and smashed a tomahawk shot that slipped through the goalkeeper’s legs and past defender Anand Lakra, who was positioned for a clearance.

The match then settled briefly after a frantic spell that produced three goals in quick succession.

End-to-End Second Quarter Brings More Goals

Tamil Nadu Dragons regained the lead through a well-worked field goal. Mohammed Raheel sent a sharp pass into the circle to Tom Craig, who squared the ball for Paul Kaufmann to tap in.

However, the lead lasted less than a minute. SG Pipers earned a penalty corner, from which Domene forced a penalty stroke. Domene then stepped up and converted it himself to level the scores again.

Dragons responded in the 18th minute with another clever penalty corner routine. Blake Govers unleashed a dragflick, and Craig got a touch on it, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and restoring the Dragons’ advantage.

Before the break, SG Pipers missed two clear chances. Roman Duvekot cut in from the left and fired just wide in the 24th minute. Three minutes later, Bram van Battum also failed to hit the target after receiving a scoop from Shamsher Singh. In between, Dragons forward Thomas Sorsby saw his effort denied by Santiago.

Dragons Strike Again but Pipers Keep Pushing

The third quarter started at a fast pace. Just 15 seconds after the restart, Craig tested the goal but missed narrowly. At the other end, Domene fired over after a quick Pipers move into the circle.

SG Pipers drew level once more through a penalty corner variation. Rupinder Pal Singh’s dragflick was redirected into the right corner by Ky Willot to make it 3-3.

Despite Pipers’ momentum, the Dragons struck again against the run of play. In the 40th minute, Rohidas fired an upright ball into the circle, and local player Selvaraj Kanagaraj got a vital deflection to put Dragons ahead 4-3. Rohidas nearly added another just before the end of the quarter, but Jarmanpreet Singh cleared the ball off the line.

Late Equaliser Forces Shootout

SG Pipers pressed hard in the final quarter. In the 51st minute, Domene’s dragflick was kept out by Sorsby on the goal line. Domene earned another penalty corner late on, but his shot deflected off the post.

Still, the Pipers found a way back. In the dying moments, Aditya Lalage combined with Dilpreet Singh on the left baseline and managed to squeeze a shot past Harte, forcing the match into a shootout at 4-4.

Princedeep Delivers in Shootout Drama

The shootout was tense and dramatic. Tomas Domene converted all four penalty strokes awarded to SG Pipers. However, Dragons goalkeeper Princedeep Singh made a decisive save against Roman Duvekot.

That moment proved crucial as Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons edged the shootout 5-4 and wrapped up a memorable win in Chennai.