Jr men's hockey national: Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh storm into semifinals

Rourkela: Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Chandigarh advanced to the semifinals of the 13th Hockey India Junior Men's National Championship 2023 on Monday after winning their respective quarterfinal matches at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here.

Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Maharashtra 9-2 in the first quarterfinal match. Ali Ahmad (5', 44') and Zameer Mohammad (16', 42') got Hockey Madhya Pradesh off to a good start, each scoring a brace.

Mohammad Zaid Khan (15'), Mohit Karma (23'), Mohd Konain Dad (34'), Rahul Pal (47') and Arman Khan (51') also scored one goal each to secure a much-needed victory over Hockey Maharashtra. In response, Hockey Maharashtra's Jay Kale (49') and Ajay Naidu (58') scored one goal each.

Hockey Chandigarh defeated Hockey Punjab 1-1 (3-2 SO) in the second Quarter-Final match. Hockey Chandigarh's Paramvir Singh (14') scored one goal, while Hockey Punjab's Sukhwinder Singh (30') equalised as the match was tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time. During the shoot-out, Raman, Harpanthpreet Singh, and Ajaypal Singh scored for Hockey Chandigarh, while Bikramjit Singh stood tall to lead his team to a hard-fought victory.

Earlier on Sunday, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Uttarakhand 10-3. Shubham (24', 28', 59') started the goal count for Hockey Haryana. Roshan (43', 53') scored a brace whereas Yogesh Singh (5'), Toshant (15'), Prikshit Panchal (19'), Agyapal (38') and Captain Rohit (58') scored one goal each. In reply, Deepak Singh Fartyal (8'), Mahendra Singh Bisht (35') and Rupesh (45') scored one goal each for Hockey Uttarakhand.

In the other match, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Manipur Hockey 3-2. Akash Soreng (6'), Captain Rosan Kujur (17') and Deepak Minz (22') scored one goal each for the hosts. In reply, Gurumayum Dingku Sharma (39') and Khangembam Somikant Singh (44') scored one goal each for Manipur Hockey.