Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 15 : Hockey Haryana and the Hockey Association of Odisha secured victories in their respective semi-final matches at the ongoing 14th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai.
With these wins on Friday, both teams booked their places in the Final. The losing teams, Uttar Pradesh Hockey and Manipur Hockey, will compete for third place on Saturday.
Hockey Haryana edged past Uttar Pradesh Hockey with a 3-2 victory in the second semi-final. They started strong, scoring twice in the second quarter through Raman (17') and Abhimanyu (20').
In the third quarter, Rajinder Singh (38') extended the lead to 3-0. A late fightback from Uttar Pradesh Hockey saw Arun Sahani (49') and Manish Yadav (53') find the net in the fourth quarter, but they fell short of an equaliser.
In the day's first semi-final, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Manipur Hockey 4-2. Nilakanta Sharma (7') opened the scoring for Manipur Hockey, but Nilam Sanjeep Xess (13') levelled the score for Odisha.
Shilanand Lakra (20') put Odisha ahead in the second quarter before Ganendrajit Ningombam (25') equalised for Manipur Hockey.
After a goalless third quarter, Prasad Kujur (52') and Sudeep Chirmako (52') struck in quick succession, sealing the victory for the Hockey Association of Odisha.
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