Coimbatore: Odisha and Madhya Pradesh entered the final of the Hockey India Junior Men’s National Championship after registering contrasting victories in their respective last-four matches here Thursday.
Odisha outplayed Punjab 6-4 in a high-scoring opening semifinal, with Bilkan Oram starring with a hat-trick.
Oram struck in the 28th, 41st and 52nd minutes, while Alok Kujur (11th), captain Deepak Pradhan (37th) and Amit Kiro (59th) also found the target for Odisha.
Punjab made a bright start through Amandeep, who scored in the seventh minute before Mandeep Singh doubled the lead a minute later. Ajaypal Singh (34th) and Amandeep (42nd) also scored for Punjab, but Odisha’s attacking firepower proved decisive.
In the second semifinal, Madhya Pradesh defeated Jharkhand 2-0, scoring both goals in the closing stages of the contest.
After a closely fought encounter, Rajveer Singh broke the deadlock in the 56th minute before Aashir Aadil Khan sealed the result with another goal two minutes later.
The final between Odisha and Madhya Pradesh will be played on August 8, while Punjab and Jharkhand will clash in the third-place playoff earlier in the day.
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