Men's hockey nationals: Haryana, Punjab, U.P, Odisha emerge victorious on Day 5
Chennai (TN), Nov 21 (IANS) Hockey Haryana, Hockey Punjab, Kerala Hockey, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, and Hockey Association of Odisha won their respective matches on the fifth day of the 13th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship 2023, here on Tuesday.
In the first match of the day, Hockey Haryana dominated Chhattisgarh Hockey with a score of 13-1 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
Sanjay, an Indian men's hockey team defender, led the goal-scoring spree for Hockey Haryana with four penalty corner goals, bringing his total goals in the National Championship to 10, cementing his position as the leading goalscorer.
Rajant (4', 47'), Kohinoorpreet Singh (22', 39', 56'), Deepak (41', 59'), Abhishek (43'), and Mukul Sharma (60') also contributed to the team's impressive victory. Chhattisgarh Hockey's only goal was scored by Yadav Kartik (49').
Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Maharashtra 4-2 in the second game. Hockey Maharashtra captain Yuvraj Walmiki (20’, 59’) broke the deadlock by scoring the first goal for his team in the 20th minute.
However, Indian men’s hockey team defender Jugraj Singh (26’) was quick to equalise through a penalty stroke for Hockey Punjab. He was followed by Indian Men’s Hockey Team midfielder Simranjeet Singh (41’), forward Dilpreet Singh (51’), and Captain Harmanpreet Singh (54’) on the scoresheet.
Although Yuvraj Walmiki scored again with a minute left in the game, it was not enough to secure a win for Hockey Maharashtra.
In the third match, Kerala Hockey and Hockey Rajasthan battled it out, resulting in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Sadhik T.K (12') scored first and gave Kerala Hockey the lead.
However, Hockey Rajasthan quickly turned the game around in their favour with a brace from Akhtar Shoyab (36', 39'). In the last quarter, Abhinav C (49') scored for Kerala Hockey and salvaged a draw for his team.
Uttar Pradesh Hockey prevailed over Le Puducherry Hockey 3-2 in their fourth match. Manish Yadav (25’), Sunil Yadav (37’), and Faraz Mohd (53’) scored for Uttar Pradesh Hockey. T. Arun Kumar (46’, 55’) scored two penalty strokes for Le Puducherry Hockey, but despite his efforts, they couldn't salvage a point from the match.
In the last game of the day, the Hockey Association of Odisha recorded a comfortable victory over Delhi Hockey 9-1. Indian men's hockey team defender, Amit Rohidas, showed off his skills by scoring a fantastic hat-trick for Hockey Association of Odisha from penalty corners, scoring in the 1st, 4th, and 33rd minutes.
He was joined on the scoresheet by Rajin Kandulna (13'), Ashis Kumar Topno (24', 32'), Indian men's hockey team defender Nilam Sanjeep Xess (37'), and forward Shilanand Lakra (58'). The only goal for Delhi Hockey was scored by Aman Khan (11').
--IANS
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