Punjab to take on Haryana in semifinals, Odisha to face SAI, Bhopal

Punjab set up a high-voltage semifinal clash with defending champions Haryana in the 2^ndJunior National Men Hockey Championship at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in the Guru Gobind Singh College here tomorrow. Last year’s finalist Odisha will battle it out with SAI, Bhopal in the other semifinal.

In the quarterfinals today, Punjab beat MP Hockey Academy (Bhopal) 7-1 and Haryana defeated Himachal Pradesh 4-1. Odisha had to put their best foot forward to secure a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Karnataka. SAI, Bhopal, secured a hard-fought 3-2 verdict against hosts Uttar Pradesh in the last match of the day.

Gurjinder Singh emerged top-scorer for Punjab by converting two penalty corners. Akashdeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, Jaitinder Singh, Satvir Singh and Harjeet Singh scored a goal each. For MPHA, Sanglakram Nilakanta struck the consolation goal in the 53^rd minute.

In another quarterfinal match Gagandeep Singh emerged as top-scorer for Haryana scoring two field goals. Also Amit Kumar and Gagandeep Singh scored one goal for Haryana while Gaganpreet Singh is  the only goal-scorer for Himachal Pradesh.

Odisha captain Amit Rohidas converted penalty corners in the 48^th and 59^th minutes, respectively to beat back Karnataka’s challenge. His rival captain Aiyappa PR Pardanda had put Karnataka ahead in the 38^th minute. In the other match, Affan Yousuf, Ajay Prabhakar and Neeraj were the goal scorers for SAI, Bhopal while Sanjeet Singh and Arjun Yadav scored for Uttar Pradesh.

Saturday’s fixtures (semifinals): Odisha vs SAI Bhopal, 2.00 p.m; Punjab vs. Haryana, 4.30 p.m.