Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh 5-4 in a high-octane final to win the combined men and women category at third Hockey India 5-a-side Senior National Championship at the Hockey Complex, Green Park Stadium here on Thursday.
Haryana raced away with the game when they notched four goals in the first half. However, Uttar Pradesh turned the tables in the second half and put immense pressure on the Haryana defense line.
They scored four goals and kept all fans at the edge of their seats until the last minute, but eventually, Uttar Pradesh fell short of Haryana by one goal in the end. Pardeep Mor (2', 18'), Deepika (7', 8') and captain Mandeep Antil (4') scored for Haryana, while Raj Kumar Pal (12', 13', 17') and captain Mohd Amir Khan (19') were the scorers for Uttar Pradesh.
Odisha, Haryana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh qualified for the semi-finals after winning their respective knockout matches earlier in the day.
In the first Semi-Final, Haryana recorded a comfortable 6-3 victory over Odisha. Anu set the ball rolling for Haryana with two goals in the opening minutes of the match. Haryana rode on the momentum and kept finding the back of the net.
Odisha scored a goal just before half-time and notched another one at the start of the second half, but Haryana kept inching ahead and eventually walked off the field as winners. Anu (1', 3'), Pardeep Mor (4', 14') and captain Mandeep Antil (17', 18') scored for Haryana, while Sushil Dhanwar (10'), Albert Tete (13') and Prasad Kujur (18') scored for Odisha.
In the second semi-final, Uttar Pradesh raced away with the match when they scored five goals in the first half, while Karnataka couldn't find a breakthrough.
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Eventually, Uttar Pradesh won the match 8-4. Karnataka tried to fight back in the second half, but Uttar Pradesh ensured that they held a comfortable lead throughout the match.
Raj Kumar Pal (3', 10', 16'), Mohd. Saif Khan (18', 20'), Lalrin Diki (5'), Saurabh Anand (8') and Captain Mohd Amir Khan (9') scored for Uttar Pradesh, while Mohammed Raheel Mouseen (11', 17', 18') and Abharan Sudev (14') were the scorers for Karnataka.