Sub-Jr National Hockey: Odisha Thrive On Home Support At Rourkela, Face MP In Semis

Rourkela: Red-hot Odisha stormed into the semifinals of the Hockey India Sub-Junior Men’s National Championship with a resounding 7-0 triumph over Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

Cheered on by a big home crowd at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Odisha turned on the heat after a goalless first half to pump in three goals in the third quarter and four in the final 15 minutes on Thursday night.

Odisha, who have scored 27 goals so far without conceding any, will face Madhya Pradesh in the last-four stage on Saturday. MP saw off the formidable challenge of Jharkhand 6-3.

Defending champions UP trounced Chandigarh 7-0 to set up a semifinal clash with Haryana, who edged out Punjab 2-1.

Odisha coach Laxminarayna felt the home team has an advantage because of the crowd support.

“We are receiving immense support from the crowd… Almost 5000 people gathered (in the quarterfinal) to cheer us on. We will have an advantage over any other team,” the coach said after the quarterfinal win.

He, however, added a note of caution about the semifinal.

“Madhya Pradesh are a really strong team and we were unable to beat them in some of the recent competitions,” he reminded.

“But this time the team is motivated to overcome any challenge and go all the way in the tournament,” the coach hoped.