Odisha win boys' hockey title

New Delhi, Feb 8: Odisha defeated Punjab 2-1 in the boys' hockey fil at the Khelo India School Games here on Thursday.

Earlier, Chandigarh routed Uttar Pradesh 5-1 in the contest for the bronze medal.

In the girls' section, a goal in the dying moments by Anu helped Harya pip Jharkhand 2-1 in the fil.

Jharkhand struck first and led 1-0 at half time. But Harya scored twice in the second half.

Punjab won the girls' third place match after edging out Chandigarh 5-4.

The Odisha boys, who had beaten Punjab 3-0 during the league stage, once again domited their opponents in the fil proving that their previous victory over their rivals was no fluke.

Odisha showed no sign of fatigue after having played a gruelling semi-fil against Uttar Pradesh while Punjab, who had whipped Chandigarh in the other semi-fil, had a tired look.

The fast moving Odisha boys started attacking the Punjab citadel from the very start giving their rivals no time to settle down.

Surprisingly, despite enjoying the upper hand most of the time, Odisha earned a breakthrough only a minute before the interval with Sushil Dhanwar scoring off a pelty corner.

Punjab tried to make their presence felt by launching furious attacks at the start of the second session. But Odisha not only foiled their efforts but increased the lead in the 41st minute when striker Sudeep Chirmako struck on the counter.

Punjab scored a consolation goal through Surdarshan Singh just before the fil whistle. IANS