Rising football stars make every kick count at Karnal semi-finals

On the third day of the 27th Haryana State Games (football), thrilling semi-finals (men’s and women’s) categories were played with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship on Thursday. The girls’ events were held at Haryana Police Academy, Madhuban, while the boys’ events were held at Karna Stadium, Karnal.

Puneet, a coach, said, in the men’s semi-final, Jhajjar defeated Panipat with a score of 4-0, while Fatehabad beat Karnal in a thrilling penalty shootout (5-4).

In the women’s category, Bhiwani registered a 3-0 victory over Sonepat, and Hisar beat Rohtak 4-0 to reach the finals.

Now, Jhajjar will face Fatehabad in the men’s category, and Bhiwani will compete against Hisar for the championship title in the women’s category. The final matches will be played on Friday.

A match between Panipat and Karnal, the teams that lost in the men’s semifinals, was played to decide the third position, and Karnal defeated Panipat 2-1.

The match was inaugurated by MLA Jagmohan Anand, who met the players and exhorted them to play with true sportsmanship.

Addressing the players, he said the Haryana Government was continuously encouraging athletes to excel in sports.

He said Haryana gave the highest respect and rewards to medal-winning players, which is why athletes from the state had brought glory to Haryana at both national and international levels.