In a giant killing act, Air India stunned Haryana in the quarterfinal of the 10th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2020 (A Division), underway at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium. In the other quarterfinals, Services, Punjab & Sind Bank and Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) registered respective winD to make it to the semifinals.
In the first QuarterD, Services edged out Mumbai 1-0 in a closely-contested match. Services took the lead in the fourth minute and thereafter managed to stay in the lead right till the end of the game. The Mumbai TEAM tried their best to find an opening, but the Services defense unit stood tall. Jugraj Singh (4′) scored the lone goal for Services Sports Control Board.
Punjab & Sind Bank registered a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Karnataka in the second Quarter-Final match. Both sides were neck and neck in the first half when Punjab & Sind Bank and Hockey Karnataka couldn’t find a way to break the 0-0 deadlock. However, Punjab & Sind Bank gained momentum and found the back of the net twice in the third quarter. Prabhdeep Singh (36′) and Parvinder Singh (43′) were the scorers for Punjab & Sind Bank.
PSPB and Tamil Nadu played an interesting game in the third Quarter-Final match. PSPB took the lead in the third quarter through a field goal before Hockey Unit Of Tamil Nadu struck in the same quarter. In the dying minutes of the match, Petroleum OUTFIT converted a Penalty Corner and sealed a 2-1 victory. Talwinder Singh (34′, 56′) scored for PSPB, while Selvaraj Kanagaraj (42′) netted the lone goal for Hockey Unit Of Tamil Nadu.
Air India and Hockey Haryana played a high octane game in the last Quarter-Final. Haryana took the lead in the 7th minute, however, Air India fought back through a Penalty Corner in the 13th minute. Thereafter, both sides were neck and neck for the most part of the match until Air India converted a stroke in the dying minutes of the match. Air India Sports Promotion Board sealed a place in the Semi-Finals with a 2-1 victory. Joginder Singh (13′, 54′) scored for the winnng side while Pankaj (7′) found the back of the net for Hockey Haryana.
SEMIFINAL FIXTURE
Semi-Final 1: 1300 hrs IST – Services Vs Punjab & Sind Bank
Semi-Final 2: 1500hrs IST – PSPSB Vs Air India