Chennai: Odisha and Haryana entered the finals of the 2024 Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship, held at Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, on Friday.
Odisha defeated Manipur 4-2, whereas Haryana took down Uttar Pradesh 3-2 in the semifinals.
In the first semifinals, Manipur started brightly, going ahead from a Nilakanta Sharma penalty stroke.
Odisha pulled things back in the first quarter itself, thanks to a goal from Nilam Sanjeep in a penalty corner.
In the second quarter, both teams kept going toe for toe, playing at a very high intensity, and Odisha made it 2-1 thanks to a well-worked goal from Shilanand but Manipur responded immediately, taking full advantage of a poorly executed clearance from Odisha keeper Sahil Kumar Nayak.
In the final quarter of the match, Odisha were still able to keep up their intensity but Manipur were unable to match it, and Odisha capitalized on it by scoring two goals in two minutes to seal the game.
Kujur Prasad and Sudeep Chirmako were the final two goal scorers for Odisha and they will play their first final tomorrow.
Haryana pip UP in thriller
In the second semifinal, Haryana looked to have settled the match, leading by three goals at the end of the third quarter, but Uttar Pradesh made a huge statement by pulling two goals back in the fourth and final quarter, leaving the Haryana defense in sixes and sevens towards the end.
The Haryana keeper Pawan, who for most of the first three quarter was not troubled, had to make crucial saves in order to sustain his side’s narrow margin.
Earlier in the match, Haryana scored two goals in three minutes, with Raman opening the scoring in the 17th minute after which Abimanyu followed suit in the 20th minute.
They then added a third thanks to a goal from Rajinder Singh in the 38th minute, an effort which in hindsight, proved to be the difference in Haryana’s victory.
Manipur and Uttar Pradesh will play the third-place playoff tomorrow at 2 PM, while the final between Odisha and Haryana will be held at 4 PM.
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