Odisha clinches Senior Men's Hockey National Championship with dominant 5-1 victory over Haryana

Odisha triumphed in the Senior Men's National Hockey Championship on Saturday, defeating Haryana 5-1 in a commanding final. The star of the match was India international Shilanand Lakra, who netted a brilliant hat-trick, securing Odisha’s third National title in style.

Odisha, led by coach and captaincy, took control early, with Rajat Akash Tirkey opening the scoring in the 11th minute. Tirkey capitalized on a close-range opportunity to give his team the lead. Haryana struggled to keep pace, and Odisha extended their advantage in the third quarter when Pratap Lakra converted a penalty stroke in the 39th minute.

The game was effectively put to bed in the fourth quarter, as Shilanand Lakra took charge, scoring three goals in a span of just 12 minutes. His strikes came in the 48th, 57th, and 60th minutes, leaving Haryana with little room to recover. Joginder Singh's late goal (55th minute) for Haryana provided a brief glimmer of hope, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh secured third place with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Manipur. Uttar Pradesh captain and India international Lalit Kumar Upadhyay broke the deadlock in the 6th minute, finishing a sharp assist from Rajkumar Pal. Manipur fought back in the 43rd minute with Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh’s penalty corner conversion, but Uttar Pradesh sealed the win in the 54th minute, with Rajkumar Pal scoring the match-winner.

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