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Bhopal: Haryana outplayed Karnataka to win a thrilling final 2-1 and clinch the senior national hockey championship title at the Aishbagh Stadium on Sunday.
Sandeep Singh converted a penalty corner in the 13th minute and Karnataka replied through V.R. Raghunath's drag flick in the 40th. Mandeep Anil struck the winner with a brilliant reverse hit in the 52rd minute in front of a sizeable vociferous crowd.
However, both teams exhibited fast-paced and exciting hockey. They tested each other and were relentless in attack in the action-packed first half.
It was also a contest between two highly-rated drag flickers - Sandeep and Raghunath. The Karnataka defender piped Sandeep as the tournament's top scorer with 12 goals while the Haryana player finished with 11.
Karnataka got four penalty corners, two in both halves. The first two chances that came in the first half were wasted as Vikram Kanth and Irshad Ali failed to stop the bouncy ball while a foul in the crucial fourth penalty corner dashed Karnataka's hopes.
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