Haryana, Odisha strom into final of 15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2025

Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], August 21 (ANI): Hockey Haryana and Hockey Association of Odisha emerged victorious at the semi-finals of the 15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2025 in Jalandhar, Punjab, setting up a thrilling clash for the final. Meanwhile, host Hockey Punjab will face Uttar Pradesh Hockey in the clash for third place.
In the first semi-final of the day, Hockey Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey, 3-0, with Hockey Haryana's Nitin (3', 54') scoring two goals for his team, while Jeetpal (47') scored the third goal.
The second semi-final match between Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Punjab was a closely contested affair in which Odisha defeated the host 3 - 2 with Karan Lakra (58') scoring in the final few minutes of the game. The other two goals for Hockey Association of Odisha were scored by Pratap Toppo (1',15'), while captain Gursewak Singh (12') and Manmeet Singh Rai (44') scored a goal each for Hockey Punjab.
Earlier in the quarter-final, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Karnataka in a close 3-2 match with Navraj Singh (6'), Sachin (22') and Chirag (59') scoring for Hockey Haryana while Nitesh Sharma (28') and Sampan Ganapathy (43') scored for Hockey Karnataka.
After a rain-washed day, the second quarter-final took place in the evening with Uttar Pradesh Hockey taking on Hockey Madhya Pradesh and defeating them 2-1 to secure their place. Satyam Pandey (34') and Akash Pal (47') scored a goal each for Uttar Pradesh Hockey, while the lone goal for Hockey Madhya Pradesh was scored by Harsh Phalswal (59') in the final minutes of the game.
In the third Quarter - Final match, Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Manipur Hockey 9-0 with Karan Lakra (54', 59') scoring two goals and Bilkan Oram (4'), Ritik Lakra (25'), Yojin Minz (27'), Nitesh Minz (28'), Harun Minz (29'), Abhisek Topno (39') and Deepak Pradhan (47') scoring a goal each.
The final match of the day took place between Hockey Punjab and Hockey Jharkhand, with the host cementing their place in the semi-finals with a 4-1 win over Hockey Jharkhand. Japnit Singh (8', 47') scored two goals for Hockey Punjab, while captain Gursewak Singh (4') and Jobanpreet Singh (57') scored one goal each. The lone goal for Hockey Jharkhand was scored by Amrit Horo (59'). (ANI)