Haryana produced an impressive comeback to defeat Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in the final of the 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship in Jhansi on Wednesday, securing the title after a closely contested encounter.
Despite falling behind early in the match, Haryana showed determination and made the most of its penalty corner opportunities to turn the contest around. Navraj Singh and Joginder Singh scored the crucial goals as Haryana overcame Madhya Pradesh’s early advantage.
Madhya Pradesh made a promising start and took the lead in the 14th minute through Mohammad Zaid Khan. The forward found the target with a field goal, giving his team the upper hand towards the end of the opening quarter.
However, Haryana responded strongly in the second quarter and gradually worked its way back into the match.
The equaliser arrived in the 21st minute when Navraj Singh successfully converted a penalty corner, bringing Haryana level at 1-1 and setting up an exciting battle for the championship.
Both teams continued searching for an advantage, but neither could find the breakthrough before the final quarter.
With the scores still tied, the contest remained finely balanced as the teams entered the decisive stages.
Haryana eventually made the breakthrough in the 50th minute when Joginder Singh stepped up to convert another penalty corner, putting his side ahead for the first time in the match.
The goal proved decisive as Haryana held on to its narrow advantage to complete the comeback and claim the national championship.
Meanwhile, hosts Uttar Pradesh secured the bronze medal after registering a convincing 3-1 victory over Punjab in the third-place playoff earlier in the day.
Akash Pal emerged as the standout performer for Uttar Pradesh, scoring twice in the opening half to put his team in a commanding position.
He opened the scoring with a field goal in the 15th minute before doubling the advantage with another strike from open play in the 21st minute.
Uttar Pradesh maintained its two-goal lead until halftime, leaving Punjab with a difficult task in the second half.
Punjab showed signs of a comeback when Pawandeep Singh scored a field goal in the 41st minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
However, Uttar Pradesh ended any hopes of a late equaliser when Chandan Yadav converted a penalty corner in the 58th minute to restore the two-goal cushion.
The victory confirmed Uttar Pradesh’s third-place finish, while Haryana celebrated the championship after a hard-fought final against Madhya Pradesh.
