FIH Men's Junior World Cup 2021: Germany thrashes India 4-2 to enter final

Germany will meet Argentina in the summit clash on Sunday. India will face France in the bronze medal match.

Argentina edged out France 3-1 in the shootouts to enter the final after 16 years. The match ended on an unpleasant note due to a minor scuffle between the French and celebrating Argentine players. (Representative Image)

Backed by its sound homework, Germany engineered a clinical performance to outplay India 4-2 in the semifinals and reach the final of the men’s Hockey Junior World Cup at the rain-drenched Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.

Germany will meet Argentina in the summit clash on Sunday. India will face France in the bronze medal match.

Germany balanced its defence and attack well.

It provided a robust defence, denied space to the home players and neutralised most of the moves outside the circle.

The well-built Germans pressed hard both on the turf and in the air to maintain constant pressure. It scored off its second penalty corner as Erik Kleinlein slotted in a rebound in the 15th minute.

The Germans piled more misery by scoring thrice within four minutes in the second quarter. The home backline showed signs of nerves against the high-intensity attacks and a hapless Pawan had a troubled time under the bar.

HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA VS GERMANY

Philip Holzmueller’s hit, which lobbed in following a deflection, off a cross from the right resulted in the second goal in the 21st minute. Hannes Muller's reverse hit off a loose ball inside the circle made it 3-0.

India pulled one back as a pass from the left was deftly deflected into the German goal by Sudeep Chirmako in the 25th minute.

Christopher Kutter's penalty stroke conversion gave Germany a clear upper hand before halftime.

India was slightly better in the goalless third quarter but continued to falter in basics, including passing, and struggled to produce another penalty corner.

It managed to narrow the margin through Boby Singh Dhami’s 60th-minute strike.

Argentina edged out France 3-1 in the shootouts to enter the final after 16 years. The match ended on an unpleasant note due to a minor scuffle between the French and celebrating Argentine players.

The results:

Semifinals:  Argentina vs France 0-0 (Shootout: Argentina bt France 3-1); Germany 4 (Erik Kleinlein 15, Philip Holzmueller 21, Hannes Muller 24, Christopher Kutter 26) bt India 2 (Sudeep Chirmako 25, Boby Singh Dhami 60). 

5th--8th places:  Belgium vs Spain 2-2 (Shootout: Belgium bt Spain  4-3); Netherlands bt Malaysia 9-3.