Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship: Harmanpreet Singh's brace guides Punjab to semis; Haryana beat Odisha 3-2 in a shootout
Hockey Haryana were up against the Hockey Association of Odisha in Quarter-Final 1 of the 13th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship 2023.
Haryana got off to a flying start, scoring off two penalty corners in the first quarter. Sanjay found the back of the net in the eighth and 15th minutes to hand his side a respectable lead in that game.
However, Odisha captain Amit Rohidas converted a penalty corner in the 22nd, while Shilanand Lakra found the back of the net in the 43rd minute to level the scores.
The match went to a shootout, with both teams converting twice each in five chances. Abhishek converted the sixth shootout for Haryana, while Ashis Kumar Topno failed to do so for Odisha. The former won 3-2 in a shootout.
The Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu locked horns with Uttar Pradesh Hockey in the second quarter-final. The latter were 2-0 up by the end of half-time, courtesy of a goal each from Manish Sahani (27') and Sunil Yadav (30').
Sundarapandi brought the hosts back into the back, converting a penalty corner in the 33rd minute. Tamil Nadu skipper Joshua Benedict Wesley scored twice in the final quarter to hand his side a 3-2 victory in the quarter-final. He scored field goals in the 52nd and 59th minutes of the game to see Tamil Nadu into the semis.
Earlier in the day, Hockey Karnataka defeated Hockey Jharkhand 4-1, courtesy of goals from captain Sheshe Gowda (23'), Likhith BM (32'), and a couple from Harish Mutagar (46' & 49'). Meanwhile, Dilbar Barla (39') was the lone goal scorer for the losing side.
Hockey Punjab defeated Manipur Hockey 4-2 to earn a place in the semi-finals. The defending champions were 3-0 up before Manipur got back into the game. The goals were scored by Pardeep Singh (6'), Sukhjeet Singh (20') and Harmanpreet Singh (31').
However, Manipur kept their hopes alive with goals from captain Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (36') and Rishi Yumnam (45'). Punjab captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 51st minute to seal the deal.
Men's National Hockey Championship 2023: Quarter-Finals Results
Quarter-Final 3 - Hockey Karnataka beat Hockey Jharkhand 4-1
Quarter-Final 2 - Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu beat Uttar Pradesh Hockey 3-2
Quarter-Final 1 - Hockey Haryana beat Hockey Association of Odisha 2-2 (3-2 SO)
Quarter Final 4 - Hockey Punjab beat Manipur Hockey 4-2
Men's National Hockey Championship 2023: Semi-Finals Fixtures (November 27, 2023)
Here is the schedule for the semi-finals of the Men's National Hockey Championship 2023:
Semi-Final 1 - Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, 1:30 pm IST
Semi-Final 2 - Hockey Karnataka vs Hockey Punjab, 3:30 pm IST
(All Men's National Hockey Championship 2023 semi-final matches will be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai)
READ | 13th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship 2023: Full Schedule, match timings and live streaming details