Hockey Punjab beat Chandigarh, enter semifinals

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 18

Hockey Punjab and Hockey Karnataka registered victories in their respective quarterfinal matches of the 11th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship in Pune today.

In the first quarterfinal, Hockey Punjab edged out Hockey Chandigarh (2-1) in a thriller to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. Skipper Rupinder Pal Singh (46th, 53rd) scored both goals, whereas Arshdeep Singh (50th), who put up a spirited performance, was the goal scorer for Hockey Chandigarh.

In the second quarterfinal, Hockey Karnataka earned a hard-fought (3-2) win over Hockey Bengal. In the topsy-turvy encounter, it was Hockey Bengal who struck first through Alsem Lakra’s goal in the 9th minute. In the second quarter, Hockey Karnataka bounced back and took the lead through goals from Captain Mohamed Raheel (21st) and Harish Mutagar (30th). Abhishek Pratap Singh scored an equaliser for Hockey Bengal in the 40th minute. S Deekshith P converted a penalty corner in the 58th minute and helped Hockey Karnataka enter semi-finals of the tournament.