Punjab blank Uttrakhand 6-0 in Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy

Gurgaon: Riding on Gurpreet`s hat-trick Punjab thrashed Uttrakhand 6-0 in a Group B encounter of 32nd sub-junior National Football Championship for Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy played at Ghari Harsaru here today. Punjab drew first blood when Jitender found the back of the net in the 10th minute. Punjab then escalated their dominance over the hapless Uttrakhand as Gurpreet scored the second goal in the 16th minute. Leading 2-0 at the half time, Punjab added four goals to their tally in second half with the third goal coming from Jitender in the 52nd minute. In the 65th minute, Gurpreet scored his second before completing his hat-trick in the 67th minute. Jagroop also joined the party and found the net in the 84th minute. Meanwhile, in an inconsequential encounter Himachal Pradesh registered a 2-0 victory over Jammu and Kashmir. After a drab first half, Vishal Kumar (52th min) and Karan Mishra (71st min) scored one goal each to give Himachal Pradesh their first victory of the championship. Uttrakhand will take on Uttar Pradesh in the first semifinal, while Punjab will face Delhi in the second semi-final on Saturday. PTI