The semi-final fixtures of the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (A Division) took place here on Saturday which saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey and Hockey Odisha advancing to the Final after beating Hockey Haryana and Hockey Gangpur-Odisha respectively.
In the first Semi Final, it was Uttar Pradesh Hockey who defeated Hockey Haryana with an impressive score line of 6-1. The first half saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey take a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute as Samarth Prajapati converted a Penalty Corner.
The second half saw a similar story as Uttar Pradesh Hockey dominated the game and extend their lead to 6-1 as Hockey Haryana could only score once in the game through Tanuj Saroha in the 49th minute. Goals for Uttar Pradesh Hockey were scored by Uttam Singh (46′, 57′), Ajay Yadav (55′, 70′) while Samarth Prajapati also scored his second in the 37th minute to wrap up the win.
The second Semi Final was played between Hockey Odisha and Hockey Gangpur-Odisha which saw both teams putting up a great defensive display as the match only saw one goal being scored. It was a strong performance from Hockey Odisha as they scored through a Penalty Corner in only the 6th minute of the match when Laban Lugun found the back of the net.
Hockey Odisha kept their defensive shape intact throughout the match and saw out a well fought 1-0 victory over Hockey Gangpur-Odisha, who produced many goal-scoring chances but could not breach Hockey Odisha’s defence.
Uttar Pradesh Hockey and Hockey Odisha will compete in the Final of the tournament which will be played on Sunday, 28 January, 2018 at 15.00hrs.
Hockey Haryana and Hockey Gangpur-Odisha will also be in action as they face off in the Bronze Medal match on Sunday, 28 January, 2018 at 13.00hrs.