Punjab defeats Haryana to clinch 13th senior men's national hockey championship in thrilling penalty shootout in Chennai

Punjab claimed the Gold medal after their penalty shootout triumph over defending Champions Haryana in the Final of the 13th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship 2023 today at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Chennai. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu overcame Karnataka in penalty shootouts to claim the Bronze Medal.

Punjab defeated Haryana 2-2 (9-8 SO) to clinch the title. Punjab started the match strong, scoring the first goal in the 13th minute by Harjeet Singh.

However, Haryana's Sanjay (25') scored from a penalty corner to level the score. In the second half, Punjab's Captain Harmanpreet Singh (42') scored a powerful drag flick from a penalty corner to put his team in the lead.

But Haryana's Rajant (50') scored again to equalize and take the game to penalty shootouts.

During the shootouts, Sanjay, Deepak, and Abhishek scored for Haryana while Harmanpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh scored for Punjab, taking the match to sudden death. In the seventh penalty shootout, Simranjeet Singh scored, securing the hard-fought victory for Punjab.