Hockey honours for Odisha boys
KHELO INDIA Odisha boys get the better of Punjab in onesided affair; Haryana girls pip Jharkhand to clinch top spot NEWDELHI:
Playing to a plan, Odisha once again asserted their supremacy over Punjab beating them 2-1 to win the boys’ hockey gold in the Khelo India School Games, at the Dhyan Chand Stadium on Thursday. Earlier, in a match for bronze, Chandigarh boys routed Uttar Pradesh 5-1.
In the morning, a goal in the dying moments by Anu helped Haryana pip Jharkhand 2-1 in the girls’ hockey final. It was Jharkhand, who struck first and led 1-0 at half time, but Haryana girls struck back later, striking twice in the second half. Punjab won the girls’ third-place match after putting it across Chandigarh 5-4.
The Odisha boys, who had beaten Punjab 3-0 in the league, once again dominated the final proving that their previous victory was no fluke. In fact, the scoreline does not do justice to the winners who should have won by a bigger margin.
Odisha boys showed no signs of fatigue after having played a gruelling semi-final against Uttar Pradesh, while Punjab, who had whipped Chandigarh in the other semi-final, had a tired look.
The fast-moving Odisha boys started attacking the Punjab citadel from the start, giving their rivals no time to settle down. Surprisingly, despite having the upper hand, Odisha earned the breakthrough a minute before the interval, with Sushil Dhanwar scoring off a penalty corner.
Punjab tried to make their presence felt by launching furious attacks in the second session but Odisha foiled their efforts. Riding on a counter-attack, they increased the lead in the 41st minute through striker Sudeep Chirmako. Stunned by the reversal, Punjab changed tactics and opened up the flanks.
Odisha regrouped and strengthened their defence, Sandeep, Samir Ekka and Sushant Toppo made intrusive moves upfront.
Midway through this half, Odisha again regained control of midfield but this time around, their strikers turned out to be poor marksmen. Just before the final whistle, Punjab scored a consolation goal through Surdarshan Singh.