Haryana to face UP in sub-junior hockey final

Haryana will face Uttar Pradesh in the final of the 14th Hockey India Sub-Junior Men National Championship at the Sector 42 Sports Complex on October 3. In the semifinals played today, Uttar Pradesh defeated Punjab 3-2, while Odisha lost 2-4 against Haryana.

In the first semi, Hockey Uttar Pradesh defeated Hockey Punjab 3-2. Both sides played an attacking game, however, it was UP which gained lead in the 21st minute. Ujjwal Pal netted the goal over the goal line to give relief to his side. The team maintained the lead for the next six minutes until Punjab’s Amandeep scored the equaliser.

The match once again witnessed a neck-to-neck fight. In the third quarter, Pal once again shined for UP as he scored in the 36th minute via a penalty corner. And, once again, Punjab’s Amandeep came to the team’s rescue by finding the equaliser.

As the match moved ahead, the final winning moment arrived for UP in the 57th minute. Ali Shahrukh, riding high on a solo effort, successfully netted the winning goal to take the side into the final.

Later, in the evening, Haryana won the second semi by defeating Odisha 4-2. Haryana lads, who were enjoying a two-goal lead in the second quarter, conceded the same number of goals. However, the Haryana lads recovered well to ensure a smooth entry into the final. Haryana’s Sukhdeep Singh netted the opening goal in the 6th minute, while Govind doubled the lead in the 19th minute.

Thereafter, Odisha recorded a stunning comeback as Kerketta Mithlesh reduced the margin to 1-2 in the 23rd minute, followed by a stunning strike from Armaan in the 25th minute to bring the score at par. At the start of the third quarter, Haryana lads got the much-needed break as Chirag put them ahead 3-2. Thereafter, the Haryana defenders played sensibly to defend the lead. As the match was proceeding into the final minutes, Haryana got a penalty stroke to further extend their lead and Chirag without any mistake pushed the ball over the goal line.