14th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship: Manipur, Haryana, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh advance to semi-finals

Hockey Haryana will clash against Uttar Pradesh Hockey while Manipur Hockey will face Hockey Association of Odisha in the semi-final, on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Manipur Hockey defeated Hockey Punjab 3-3, (4-3 SO) in the first Quarter Final of the day. Both teams were locked in a 3-3 draw during regulation time. Cyril Lagun (14', 36', 51') scored a hat-trick for Manipur Hockey. For Hockey Punjab, Ravneet Singh (24', 59') and Maninder Singh (18') were the goal scorers.

In the ensuing shootout, Manipur Hockey's Goalkeeper Hemam Dhanaraj Singh made two crucial saves while Nilakanta Sharma, who was on target twice, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, and Khadangbam Kothajit Singh successfully converted their chances to secure the win for Manipur Hockey.

In the second Quarter-Final, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Maharashtra, 5-1. Hockey Maharashtra were leading for the majority of the encounter through an early breakthrough from Aniket Gaurav (12'). However, Hockey Haryana rallied in the final quarter to score five goals. Rohit (53', 59', 60') led the charge with a late hat-trick along with goals from Rajinder Singh (48') and Pankaj (54') to complete the victory for Haryana.

Uttar Pradesh Hockey defeated Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, 3-1, in the third Quarter-Final. Chandan Singh (3') struck first to break the deadlock for Uttar Pradesh Hockey. Shanmugavel S (9') provided the equaliser for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu before Rajkumar Pal (18') and Captain, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (34') added to Uttar Pradesh's tally and ensured victory.

In the last Quarter-Final, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Hockey Karnataka (3-1 SO) after both teams were locked in a 3-3 draw. Pruthvi Raj GN (5) gave Hockey Karnataka the lead followed by goals from Bharath Mahalingappa Kurtakoti (11') and Vishwas G (26'). Hockey Association of Odisha's scorers included Mangal Lohar (14'), Shilanand Lakra (20'), and Pratap Lakra (50').

In the shootout, Hockey Association of Odisha's Goalkeeper, Sahil Kumar Nayak only conceded once, while Sudeep Chirmako, Matiyas Dang and Shilanand Lakra found the back of the net to pave their path into the semi-finals. (ANI)