Tamil Nadu and Sports Authority of India posted easy wins Thursday to enter the semi-finals of the Arise Steel 9th Hockey India Senior National men's hockey champioship ('B' Division) at the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium here.
Also reaching the semi-finals were Central Secretariat and Bengaluru Hockey Association, who advanced with hard-fought wins.
In the morning session, Tamil Nadu team beat Sahastra Seema Bal 3-0 to set up a last four meeting with SAI, a 2-0 winner over Maharashtra.
In the TN-SSB match, there were no goals in thefirst quarter as the two teams worked hard to break the deadlock.
In the fifth minute of the second quarter, the host went ahead through a field goal by Vinod Rayer, the top-scorer for Tamil Nadu in the league phase with eight in his kitty.
Muthuselvan put TN 2-0 in front through a penalty corner conversion.
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Rayer completed the tally in the 41st minute.
SSB's efforts to find the net went in vain as the host team's defenders were up to the task.
Boby Singh Dhami starred for SAI, scoring a field goal in the 22nd goal and again in the 59th as the team dominated proceedings against Maharashtra.
Central Secretariat defeated Food Corporation of India 2-1 with Govind Singh Rawat's 56th penalty corner strike proving decisive.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru HA pulled off a thrilling 5-4 win over Patiala, bouncing back from 2-4 with Veeranna Gouda's strikes in the 52nd and 59th minutes proving crucial.
Results: Quarterfinals: Sports Authority of India beat Hockey Maharashtra 2-0; Hockey Unit of Tamilnadu beat Sashastra Seema Bal 3-0; Central Secretariat beat Food Corporation of India 2-1; Bengaluru Hockey Association beat Hockey Patiala 5-4.
Semifinal line-up (to be played on January 19): Sports Authority of India vs Hockey Unit of Tamilnadu, Central Secretariat vs Bengaluru Hockey Association.
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