Jharkhand on Thursday beat Haryana 3-1 after a shootout to clinch the trophy of the 11th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2021 in Jind (Haryana). All hockey fans and the state hockey unit elated in rejoice as the news broke dubbing it as a fitting reply to Jharkhand’s loss to Haryana in another national meet recently. Last week, female sub-junior team finished runner’s up to Haryana during the 11th hockey India sub junior women national championship 2021 hosted in Jharkhand’s Simedga district.
In today’s final, both the teams remained goalless after 60 minutes of the game. Identical to the semifinal performance against Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand goalie Duga Munda emerged as the hero, saving three shots towards the goal. Asim Ekka, Deepak Soreng and Roshan Reetik Lakra scored in the shootout for Jharkhand.
Jharkhand coach Adam Horo in a statement said, “It’s a phenomenal achievement for all of us as we had very little time to train. Duga was once again outstanding in the shootout,” adding that the final summit clash went as per their expectation.
“We knew it would be a tough game. I was happy with the way the team played in the first three quarters. We lost a little bit of momentum in the final quarter but the boys kept their cool during the shootout. Hockey Jharkhand are champions for the first time. This win is a testament to the way we have worked with the tribal community over the years. I am sure they will bring many more laurels in the future,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Hockey clinched third spot with a stunning 23-0 win against Manipur.
Back in Simdega, considered as the cradle of hockey players, everyone rejoiced and danced at Astroturf stadium over the emphatic win. Hockey Jharkhand president Bhola Nath Singh, who is currently in Simdega for the upcoming national meet from April 3 said, “The victory is a fitting reply to our slender loss to Haryana last week.”
