Hockey National C'ship: Punjab, Karnataka advance into semis
Dec 19, 2021
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 19 : Punjab and Karnataka registered victories in their respective quarter-final matches of the 11th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship here in Pimpri Chinchwad 2021 here on Saturday.
In the first quarter-Final, Punjab edged out Chandigarh 2-1 in a thriller to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, courtesy of a brace from captain Rupinder Pal Singh (46', 53').
Whereas, Arshdeep Singh (50'), who put up a spirited performance, was the goalscorer for Chandigarh.
In the second quarter-final, Karnataka earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over Bengal. In the topsy-turvy encounter, it was Hockey Bengal who struck first through Alsem Lakra's goal in the 9th minute.
However, in the second quarter, Karnataka bounced back and took the lead through goals from captain Mohd. Raheel (21) and Harish Mutagar (30').
Abhishek Pratap Singh scored an equaliser for Bengal in the 40th minute. With both teams, pushing hard for the winner, it was S Deekshith P, who converted a Penalty Corner in the 58th minute and helped his team Karnataka seal a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament.
The quarter-final three between Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and quarter-final four between the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are yet to be played.
