India’s quest for the title at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 ended with a 4-1 defeat to six-time champions Germany in the semi-final at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.
Sudeep Chirmako's (11’) equalizer for the two-time FIH Hockey Junior World Cup champions, India, in the first quarter countered Ben Hasbach's (8’, 30’) lead for Germany. However, the Indian men’s hockey team's inability to convert 12 penalty corners proved decisive, with Paul Glander (41’) and Florian Spirling (58’) securing Germany's ninth final appearance in 13 editions.
India is set to compete for third place on Saturday against the loser of the second semi-final between France and Spain.
Despite starting strongly, World No. 3 India faced an early setback as the second-ranked German side, led by Ben Hasbach's eighth-minute field goal, took the lead. India swiftly responded with another field goal from Sudeep Chirmako in the 11th minute.
The second quarter remained fiercely contested, with India having numerous penalty corner opportunities but failing to convert. In the last minute of the quarter, Germany capitalized on their first penalty corner, with Ben Hasbach securing his second goal.
India initiated the third quarter aggressively, earning their 11th penalty corner, but Germany defended effectively. Paul Glander extended Germany’s lead with a converted penalty corner four minutes before the quarter ended.
In the final quarter, despite India's concerted attacks, they struggled to breach the German defense. Two consecutive penalty corners in the last 10 minutes went unconverted, and Florian Spirling sealed Germany's 4-1 victory as India sought a response, exposing their defense.
Throughout the tournament, India finished second in their group, losing 4-1 to Spain but securing a spot in the quarter-finals with a 10-1 win over Canada and a 4-2 victory over the Republic of Korea. They advanced to the semi-finals by defeating the Netherlands 4-3.
Having clinched the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup titles in 2001 and 2016, India aims to secure a podium finish after their fourth-place result in the 2021 edition, where they lost to France in the bronze medal match.
(Inputs from ANI)
