Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], September 26 (ANI): Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence, Sonipat and Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Jamshedpur edged past PIS Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar and Roundglass Hockey Academy (RGHA) respectively by identical 1-0 scoreline in the semifinals and qualify for the finals of the second edition of the Punjab Hockey League (U 21) which was played here at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium on Friday.
The winners will face each other in the finals tomorrow, while the losing semi-finalists will fight once again in the third-place match at the same venue, as per a press release from the Punjab Hockey League.
An exhibition match between All Stars XI, which includes players such as Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Legends XI, featuring the likes of Baljit Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Rajpal Singh, and Jugraj Singh, will also be played tomorrow before the finals.
In the first semi-finals, the decisive goal for SAI Sonipat came two minutes before half-time after Ankur Ror deflected a long pass into the goal past the opposition goalkeeper. The table toppers in the league phase then protected their slender lead to qualify for the finals.
Naval Tata Hockey Academy, who had troubled RGHA in the league phases, did not allow the hosts to play their natural attacking game, defending resiliently. The winning goal came in the 52nd minute after Ashish Tani Purti converted a penalty corner.
The third-place match will be played at 9:00 AM, and the finals will begin at 3:00 PM. The All Stars XI and Legends XI match will be played at 1 PM.
Punjab Hockey League is organised jointly by Roundglass Hockey Academy and Hockey Punjab, aiming to provide extensive match exposure to players from the grassroots level and contribute meaningfully to their professional and personal development. (ANI)
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