Karnataka will take on Uttar Pradesh in the men’s hockey final of the 36th National Games at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Tuesday.
They registered a 3-1 win over Haryana in the semi-finals on Monday in the first and fourth quarters. Earlier, Uttar Pradesh beat Maharashtra 6-5 through a tie-breaker after being locked 3-3 at the end of regulation time.
Acharya Sudev converted Karnataka’s first penalty corner in the fourth minute but Haryana retaliated with Kohinoor Preet Singh’s delivery and scored in the 17th minute. After a barren third quarter, Karnataka sealed their place in the summit clash with goals from Nikkin Thimayya CA (47th minute) and Harish Mutgar (51st).
In the first semi-final, after a tough fight, Uttar Pradesh outperformed Maharashtra. Sumit, Sunil Yadav and Manish Yadav put Uttar Pradesh ahead 3-0 before Maharashtra scored goals from Aniket Gurav (2) and Syed Niaz Rahim to extend the match into a shoot-out.
Rajbhar Pal and Rahul Kumar Rajbhar gave Uttar Pradesh a 2-0 lead in the tie-breaker. Darshan Gaokar and Yuvraj Valmiki scored to keep Maharashtra in the match and both teams had one attempt left. Venkatesh Kenche could not beat Uttar Pradesh goalkeeper Prashant Kumar while captain Lalit Kumar Upadhyay was declared the winner.
Maharashtra looked better on paper and on the field but Uttar Pradesh impressed when it mattered the most. Maharashtra began its search on a positive note, frequently raiding circles. Yuvraj Valmiki tactfully led the front line. The defense of Uttar Pradesh was repeatedly shut down but they were able to avert the damage.
Uttar Pradesh came into its own in the second quarter, hitting back at Maharashtra. He soon scored the first goal through Sumit in the 22nd minute and insured through a penalty corner strike by Sunil Yadav, as the second quarter drew to a close.
Equally exciting was the third quarter, with Uttar Pradesh practicing yet another penalty corner seven minutes after the restart. Maharashtra regrouped and hit back with a brace by Aniket Gurav on either side of the third break. Syed Niaz Rahim equalized for Maharashtra five minutes before the hooter.
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