Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 11: Railway Coach Factory (RCF) made a remarkable comeback in the second half to beat South Central Railway (SCR) 2-1 in the second semifinal of the All India Railway hockey championship at the Kalinga Stadium here Wednesday.
RCF took control of the game from the very first minute but it was goalkeeper RK Pfokrelo of SCR who denied them from scoring at least twice in the first half. RCF’s centre forward Sanjay Bir almost scored in the initial minutes of the game but Pfokrelo made a brilliant diving stop.
However, the deadlock was ultimately broken by SCR captain Mayank James when he collected a beautiful pass from one of his teammates and scored with a firm hit to the right corner of the goal.
In the second half, RCF equalised as through Bir’s attempt was deflected initially but left-in Sandeep Singh made no mistake in directing the ball into the net. When everybody was hoping for a tie- breaker, RCF got a penalty corner in the dying minutes and Simranjeet Singh converted to ensure a place in the summit clash.
“We had a tough fight today but now we will keep our focus on the final match,” said RCF captain Gurpreet Singh after the match.
Meanwhile, in another semifinal, Central Railway (CR) came from behind in the second half to thrash Western Railway (WR) 6-3. The final will be played Friday between Central Railway and Railway Coach Factory.
Results:
Central Railway bt Western Railway 6-3
Railway Coach Factory bt South Central Railway 2-1
