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The action at the inaugural Hockey India Masters Cup 2025 intensified on Day 6 as the women's category concluded its pool stage matches, while the men's category witnessed its first set of Quarter-Final clashes at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
On Day 6 of the tournament, Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Punjab won their respective matches in the women's category, while Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Hockey Association of Odisha won their respective Quarter-Final games in the men's category, as per a press release from Hockey India. The day began with a thrilling contest between the Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Haryana, with Odisha edging past their opponents 3-2. Ranjita Beck (5', 37') led the charge for Odisha with two goals from penalty corners, one in each half. Sarita Roshan Minz (11') added a field goal to strengthen Odisha's lead. Despite a spirited effort by Haryana's Chingshubam Sanggai Ibemhal (28', 39'), who scored twice with impressive field goals, Odisha held on for a narrow win. In the second women's match, Hockey Punjab delivered a dominant second-half performance to defeat the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 3-0. After a goalless first half, Niti (32') broke the deadlock with a field goal. Meenakshi (49') and Jaspreet Kaur (56') followed up with one goal each to seal a comprehensive win for Punjab. Following the conclusion of the pool stage in the women's category at the 1st Hockey India Masters Cup 2025, Hockey Karnataka topped Pool A with a perfect record, collecting nine points. Meanwhile, Hockey Himachal, Kerala Hockey, and Hockey Maharashtra all finished with three points each, and were separated on goal difference to determine their final standings as second, third, and fourth respectively. In Pool B, Hockey Punjab emerged as group leaders with nine points, maintaining an unbeaten run. Hockey Association of Odisha secured the second spot with six points, followed by Hockey Haryana with three points. Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu ended their campaign without a win, finishing at the bottom of the table with zero points. Meanwhile, the men's Quarter-Final 1 saw an explosive performance from the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, who outclassed Hockey Punjab 8-2 to secure a place in the Semi-Finals. S Sudarshan (10') opened the scoring with a penalty corner conversion, followed by a field goal from team captain Adam Antony Sinclair (12'). But it was D Muthuselvan who stole the show with four stunning goals (20', 47', 53', 55') in a sensational display of attacking hockey. Ramesh Nallamuthu (38') and Vinoth Kumar AP (43') also chipped in with a goal each. For Punjab, Ram Saran (30') and captain Ripudaman Kumar Singh (40') managed to get on the scoresheet, but their efforts were not enough to stop Tamil Nadu's onslaught. In the final match of the day, Hockey Association of Odisha cruised into the Semi-Finals with a commanding 6-2 victory over Hockey Andhra Pradesh. Odisha captain Barla Lajrus (5', 36') led from the front with a brace--first converting a penalty stroke and then a penalty corner. Santiel Mundu (10') and Cyprian Kerketta (21') added to the tally, while Anil Kullu (51', 59') netted twice late in the game to seal the win. Andhra Pradesh responded through goals from Deepak Akash Bachu (7') and Manchala Ajay Babu (30'), but it wasn't enough to avoid elimination. (ANI)
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