Western Railway (WR) booked a place in the quarterfinals, beating Maharashtra State Police (MSP) 4-2 in a gruelling encounter in the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup Hockey meet at the Mahindra Stadium on Wednesday.

Jasdev Singhs 63rd minute goal – WRs third – made the difference and Jayesh Jadhav added one more for WR in the final minute from the penalty corner.

Earlier in the match, the railwaymen took the lead in the 14th minute but couldnt hold on to it as Vinod Manugade equalised for the cops just five minutes later through a penalty corner.

Riding high on the tempo, MSP had a brilliant opportunity to take the lead in the very next minute but Manugades firm push was blocked by goalkeeper Sairam Bishnoi.

Both teams went to the lemon break locked 1-1 and the second half proved to be an open-ended affair as both went for the kill. It wasnt long before WR found themselves ahead for the second time in the match. Amarjeet Singh drilled the ball to the right of MSP custodian Baljit Thakur from the penalty corner.

MSP refused to budge and came back into the match for the second time in the 51st minute when Manugade fired home off their third penalty corner to set the stage for a thrilling finish.

WR though got the better of MSP in the closing stages of the match, scoring twice in seven minutes. They now face Punjab National Bank in quarterfinals.