07 Dec, 2025 A first-time finalist, a team now eyeing it’s eighth title, and two sides with broken hearts – that was the story of the semi-finals day at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Chennai on Sunday. In other words, Spain entered their maiden final, defending champions Germany made it to their 10thtitle match and the hopes of a third trophy for India and Argentina ended. The two semi-finals had contrasting scripts, where Spain had to fight it out before edging Argentina 2-1 and Germany dominated India in a one-sided 5-1 victory. The day also saw Belgium and Netherlands registering wins in their quest for a fifth-place finish. Here’s a lowdown on the proceedings from the four action-packed encounters: Belgium vs France (Full-Time Score: 3-2) Looking to put their quarter-final defeats behind, European neighbours Belgium and France began their quest for finishing as high as possible in the 5/8-position playoffs, and the desperation to win showed in the nature of the battle, which was fierce, at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai. Belgium had lost their quarter-final to India in a dramatic shootout, while France too tested defending champions Germany in their last-eight match but ended up on the losing side in the shootout. The caginess of the two teams kept the game goalless in the first quarter. Once settled, both the teams executed their plans better, resulting in two goals in the next 15 minutes. France were the first to get on the board, when James Liddiard produced a clinical finish to put his team ahead in the 22ndminute. Belgium responded almost immediately, equalising through Mathis Lauwers four minutes later. It remained 1-1 at the half-time hooter. France restored their lead, this time off a penalty corner, which Tassilo Sura converted in the 35thminute. France protected their 2-1 lead for the next 10 minutes to stay in front during the last two-minute quarter break. It was still anybody’s game in the final quarter with just one goal separating the two teams. But it didn’t take long for the Belgians to make things even. Maximilian Langer scored the goal that made it 2-2 in the 46thminute, setting up a thrilling climax. While it looked the game had more than one goal in it in the remaining time, it produced just one; and it was Belgium who cut through the French defence to create a penalty corner in the 58thminute and scored the winning goal through Hugo Labouchere to win 3-2. “It was very important for us to bounce back and win this game. It’s never easy and today we showed what we are made of,” said Belgium captain Lucas Balthazar. “We played a really good game against India (in the quarter-final), lost it in the shootout and now we are playing for fifth place. Even if we didn’t play our best game today, it was important to win and bounce back.” New Zealand vs Netherlands (Full-Time Score: 3-6) Netherlands lived up to their potential to put the disappointment of quarter-final defeat against Argentina behind and went past New Zealand 6-3 in their 5/8 placement match in Chennai. New Zealand, who had fought valiantly before losing to Spain in the quarter-final, were the clear-second best against the Dutch, who dictated the majority of the game, led by their in-form striker and captain Casper van der Veen’s hat-trick. That took van der Veen’s tally of tournament goals to 9 – behind the leading scorer Amirul Islam of Bangladesh with 15 goals. The Blacks Sticks had the hero of their own in Jonty Elmes, who also scored a hat-trick and took his count of goals to 9 as well; but the way Netherlands began and kept consolidating their lead through the match, Elmes’s effort proved futile. The Dutch strikers began like a force in a hurry to put the game beyond the New Zealanders. Three goals in the first eight minutes – two from van der Veen and one from Peppe Veen – put the Black Sticks in chasing mode. While Elmes cut that lead to 3-1 in the 18thminute, the Orange army added two more goals for an overwhelming 5-1 lead. Jan van’t Land provided the finishing touch to a field goal and Joppe Wolbert converted a penalty stroke. Elmes kept fighting for New Zealand – producing his second goal a minute before half time to reduce the Dutch lead to 5-2. Van der Veen completed his hat-trick in the 36thminute to swell Netherlands’s lead to 6-2, and while the tempo of the game could have produced many more goals in the last two quarters, the next 22 minutes only produced close misses. Even as Elmes struck for the third time in the 59thminute, the writing was on the wall for New Zealand, who lost 6-3. “I think I enjoyed scoring the last one (goal). It was high, backhand, out of (thin) air. So I am really happy with that,” said Netherlands captain van der Veen after the match. First Semi-final: Spain vs Argentina (Full-Time Score: 2-1) Spain scripted history on the Chennai turf, entering their first ever FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup final as they eked out a 2-1 win to knock over two-time champions Argentina. Spain’s tactics to exert early pressure yielded immediate results, as a ricochet during a 7th-minute penalty-corner set-piece fell at the stick of Mario Mena who made no mistake in putting his team ahead 1-0. The two sides kept exchanging blows, including near misses, until the 21stminute when Argentina finally converted a penalty corner through Juan Fernandez to bring the game on an even keel. It remained 1-1 at the half-time hooter. The story of so-near-yet-so-far continued for Argentina in the goal-less third quarter, and better part of the fourth, while they had their chances both on field plays as well as set pieces. The game went on tenterhooks as the clock started racing during the last 10 minutes of the match. Spain too had their fair share of chances

Continue Reading →

07 Dec, 2025 The sixth day of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup City of Santiago 2025 was marked by Belgium’s historic 21–0 win over Zimbabwe, the widest margin ever recorded in the tournament. The European side were led by Agathe Favart, who scored four goals, supported by hat-tricks from Alexi Van Remortel, Chloé Delhalle and Emilie Verhees, in a performance that secured top place in the pool and qualification for the next phase. China, England, Australia, Spain and Argentina also celebrated victories, with Argentina closing their group with a solid 8–0 in the rain to secure second place with a goal difference of +20. Actions will continue on Saturday with the start of the Challenger Trophy, the bracket reserved for positions 17 to 24 and created on the initiative of FIH President Tayyab Ikram as a gesture of encouragement and recognition for all teams competing for their own objectives within the tournament. In parallel, the race for 9th place will also begin with the first classification crossovers involving the teams ranked 9 to 16. It will be a decisive transition day, where direct match-ups will begin to shape the middle and lower sections of the draw and outline the road to the title, whose final phase will open on Sunday with the quarter-finals. Below is a full look back at everything that happened on the last day of the pool stage in Chile. China vs South Africa (Full-Time Score: 4–0) On the synthetic turf of the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, China took control from the start, with six circle entries and three penalty corners in the first quarter, although they were unable to break through a South African side defending in a compact low block. The pattern continued in the second quarter: China forced three more penalty corners and finally opened the scoring in the 29th minute, when WANG Lihang converted from a penalty corner following sustained pressure high up the pitch. South Africa registered only two circle entries in the entire first half and had no set plays. After half-time, China deepened their territorial dominance with nine circle entries in the third quarter and six more penalty corners. During that spell came the 2–0, once again through WANG Lihang from a set play in the 37th minute, followed by TAN Lei’s 3–0 in the 39th, finishing a field goal after a high recovery on South Africa’s outlet. In the final quarter, China maintained their offensive structure, generated five additional penalty corners and closed the match 4–0 in the 48th minute when ZUO Dandan deflected another set-piece. The Asian side finished with 29 circle entries, 17 penalty corners and three conversions, while South Africa ended without corners and with only six circle entries. The Chinese Player of the Match, Zuo Dandan, expressed her appreciation for the support during the Watch.Hockey broadcast, saying “We are looking for a good result, thank you.” England vs Austria (Full-Time Score: 7–0)   England controlled the match from the outset, with eight circle entries and four penalty corners in the opening quarter. The breakthrough came in the 10th minute when Mia Moore finished a field action after a high recovery on Austria’s build-up. Austria replied with two circle entries in that period but did not create corners. In the second quarter, England maintained possession and tempo without extending the lead, although they limited Austria’s transitions entirely. After half-time, England showed their best version. They accelerated the game with 12 circle entries in the third quarter and a sequence of six consecutive penalty corners. In that passage came the 2–0 by Lottie Bingham in the 33rd minute, followed by Bingham’s second in the 37th, both field goals created through sustained pressure on Austria’s outlet. The closing quarter consolidated England’s dominance: Sienna Dunn converted a penalty corner in the 51st minute for 4–0, followed by goals from Evie Grindal (52), Mia Moore (54) and Josefina Hippe (59), sealing the match with 10 more circle entries and complete territorial control. England completed 32 circle entries, 10 corners and seven field goals, securing first place in the pool. After the final whistle, Freya Robinson reflected on the team’s performance and said, “It feels amazing. I’m so proud of the team, we worked hard today and I’m really proud of our performance.” Australia vs Scotland (Full-Time Score: 3–0) Australia took command early, generating two quick circle entries and opening the scoring in the 10th minute through Jamie-lee Surha after a high recovery and a field goal. Minutes later, in the 15th, Evie Stansby extended the lead to 2–0 with a deflection from a penalty corner. Scotland replied with two circle entries in the first quarter, without earning corners and forced to defend deep for most of the period. In the second and third quarters, the Australians maintained their structure and possession, alternating circulation with wide attacks to sustain territorial superiority. They finished the match with six penalty corners and 15 circle entries, while Scotland had no corners and managed only three circle entries. In the final quarter, Australia managed the tempo and sealed the 3–0 in the 48th minute through Madeline Kenny, who finished a field action after a turnover in the 23-metre zone and a direct transition. Player of the Match Josie Lawton expressed her satisfaction after Australia completed a perfect pool stage, saying, “It’s an amazing result for the girls, we played our game our way and were hoping the three goals would come – and they did, so I’m super happy with the result.” Zimbabwe vs Belgium (Full-Time Score: 0–21) Belgium imposed their rhythm from the opening minutes in Santiago, scoring seven goals in the first quarter after 13 circle entries and a sequence of penalty corners that forced Zimbabwe to defend inside their defensive 23. The African side managed only one circle entry in the opening period and earned no corners, while Belgium combined field goals and set-piece deflections to decide the contest early. In the second quarter, Belgium maintained structured pressure,

Continue Reading →

06 Dec, 2025 The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 saw the calssification matches for positions 9-16 and 17-24 on Day 8 of action with England and Ireland setting up an enticing 9-10 place playoff, while it will be Bangladesh taking on Austria in the battle for 17th place and the newly-instituted Challenger Trophy, an initiative from FIH President Tayyab Ikram! Take a look at how the ball rolled on Day 8 at the two host cities – Chennai and Madurai. Namibia vs Canada (Full-Time Score: 1-3) Canada, playing Namibia for the 21/24 positions, registered their first win of the tournament on Saturday with a 3-1 margin in Madurai. The intensity of the game and the teams’ desperation to win kept the umpires on their toes – forcing theon-field officialsto show a yellow card to three Canadian players and one from Namibia. Leighton De Souza put Canada ahead in the 14thminute and served a two-minute suspension later in thesecondquarter after getting a green card.For most ofthe next two quarters, none of the teams could meaningfully penetrate the opposition’s defence, while things got heated up. Namibia’s John Paul-Britz was the first to receive a yellow card just before the half-time hooter, and as the intensity picked up in the second half, Canada’s Paramveer Basra (42nd) and Gavin Thind (52nd) too were penalized for yellow-card offences. De Souza completed a brace with his penalty-corner strike in the 54thminutebuta minute later Britz cut Canada’s lead to 2-1. Ravpreet Gill became the third Canadian to receive a yellow card but coming in the 60thminute, it didn’t hurt Canada. In fact,RobinThind scored Canada’s third goal in the final minute to seal the win at 3-1. “I am just really proud of the boys…We showed a lot of character to concede that late goal and still push back to get that win. Happy for that and the work we put in. We’ll try to get another win in two days’ time and finish the tournament with two wins,” saidCanada’s coach Geoff Matthews. “We have had some really good performances, just haven’t been able to get over the line. Like I said, it’s a fairly young group but we have done well. I think we have adapted quite well to the environment.” Oman vs Egypt (Full-Time Score: 2-8) Riding on two goals each from Abdelrahman Kasem and Mohamed Ghanem, Egypt defeated Oman 8-2 in their classification match for the 21/24 positions to bag their first win of the tournament in five matches. The goal-fest started with two penalty-corner strikes–byBasel Abdelmonem in the 10thminute and Ahmed Fahmy in the 14th–togive Egypt a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. Three field goals in the second quarter, which included Abdelrahman’s brace and a strike by Mohab Hegab, swelled Egypt’s lead to 5-0 at half-time. Oman scored their first goal after the break when Alhussin Al Hasni struck off a penalty corner. But Egypt remained in an attacking mode to pump in the goals as Youssef Hussein (44th) and Ghanem (46th) made it 7-1. Al Hasni found another goal for himself and Oman in the 57thminute, but it remained consolatory as Ghanem once again breached the Oman post in the penultimate minute for an 8-2 scoreline. “This is our first win of the tournament. There was a lot of pressure on the players as all of them wanted to win. All the players in our team are under-18. So, it’s a good experience for them,” said Egypt coach Mohammed Bait Jandal, as translated by the team manager. Chile vs Japan (Full-Time Score: 1-3) Japan came back from their fighting loss against Australia in their first classification-round match to beat Chile 3-1 in the 13/16-place playoffs. Yuma Fujiwara starred for the Japanese with a double strike, including the opening goal of the match in the 24thminute that remained the only goal-scoring moment in the first two quarters. Chile equalised four minutes into the third quarter for 1-1 through Santiago Pizarro. Fujiwara restored Japan’s one-goal advantage in the 43rdminute and Naru Kimura added a cushion for a 3-1 lead in the 48thminute that turned out to be the decisive action of the match in Chennai. “We are really happy. It was a good game, especially our counter-attacks. We want to improve our attacking positions,” said Japan coach Yoshihiro Anai. Austria vs China [Full-Time Score: 1 (3 SO) – 1 (1) China] The 17/20-place encounter between Austria and China was decided by a shootout, with the former sealing a 3-1 win following 1-1 draw at the end of 60 minutes in Madurai. Both the goals during the regulation time came in the second half, with China scoring first in the 31stminute through Sun Jingran and Austria fighting back to equalise late in the fourth quarter (56thminute) with Benjamin Kelner’s goal to force a shootout. The one-on-one tie-breaker turned into a sorry affair for China, as the Austrian goalkeeper Lorenz Breitenecker put up a strong defence to deny three Chinese attackers, while Ning Dongjun was the lone scorer. For Austria, Maximilian Meisel, Benedikt Meisel and Adrian Fink went past China’s custodian Zhang Pengyang. Analysing the game, Austria captain Mateusz Nyckowiak said: “I think we have the best goalkeeper in Lorenz Breitenecker when it comes to shootouts. He is doing a very good job. Not only the shootout, he made saves in the whole game. China had some very good chances, but we stayed strong till the end and scored the equaliser. We deserved to win.” Malaysia vs Switzerland (Full-Time Score: 7-3) Malaysia’s second win of the tournament came after a long wait since their only pool-stage victory on November 29, as they blunted the Swiss challenge to register an impressive 7-3 triumph in the 13/16 classification match. Aqil Mat led the scoring chart for Malaysia with a brace, starting with his team’s first goal in the 5thminute. They led 4-1 at half-time, with the other three goals in the first two quarters coming off the sticks of Handzalah Hadi, Harris Osman

Continue Reading →

Dec 6, 2025 South Africa suffered a frustrating 4–2 defeat to Ireland in their playoff semifinal, a result that sends the Africans into the 11th-place match despite controlling almost every major metric of the contest, including an overwhelming 35 circle entries to Ireland’s 13 and a 7–4 advantage in penalty corners. South Africa, having beaten Ireland in the pool stage, played with authority from the first whistle. They bossed possession, dictated the tempo and spent long stretches camped in the Irish half. Chance after chance was created as the South Africans repeatedly broke the circle line with purpose, yet somehow the early breakthrough refused to come. Ireland, under immense pressure, ended the first quarter grateful just to still be level. Against the flow of the game, it was Ireland who struck first early in the second quarter. A dangerous lifted ball gifted them a penalty corner, and Gregory Williams powered home the opener, a moment that came completely against the run of play. South Africa responded with another flurry of entries and half chances, but the final touch continued to desert them, and they trailed 1–0 at halftime despite near-total dominance. The second half opened with more drama and, again, it was Ireland who were the beneficiaries. Williams doubled the lead with their next meaningful opportunity, converting despite South Africa continuing to dictate possession and territory. Neville Rothman’s side were defending for their lives, but their ruthless efficiency in the circle was proving to be the deciding factor. That theme continued when Noa Mulvey punished a failed clearance to extend the margin to 3–0 — Ireland scoring three goals from only a handful of meaningful attacks. South Africa finally gave themselves a lifeline late in the third quarter when Reuben Sendzul smashed a rocket inside the post to make it 3–1. With 15 minutes remaining and the momentum shifting, the Africans pushed hard for the comeback their overall play deserved. But their uphill battle steepened again when a soft penalty corner was conceded and Williams completed his hat-trick, once more capitalising on limited opportunities to restore Ireland’s cushion. South Africa poured forward relentlessly in the final stages, forcing more chances and penalty corners, but Irish desperation defending and last-ditch blocks kept them at bay. Brett Horn pulled one back late on, but it was only consolation in a match that South Africa controlled everywhere except the scoreboard. Despite outplaying Ireland in almost every measurable way, South Africa fell 4–2 and will now face Australia in the playoff for 11th place. Source: SAHockey.co.za

Dec 6, 2025 South Africa wrapped up their group stage campaign at the Junior World Cup with a demanding encounter against China, knowing that anything less than a win would place them in the bottom half of the tournament. It was always going to be a challenging task and China showed their intent from the very first whistle. The Chinese side were in complete control early on creating a stream of chances and forcing the South Africans into deep defensive work. To their credit the African Champions hung on superbly. There were spirited defensive efforts across the pitch and a handful of outstanding saves from Richele Norval who kept her team in the contest. South Africa struggled to create anything of real substance going forward and the pressure eventually told. China opened the scoring from a penalty corner just before the break a frustrating blow after such a determined and disciplined first half effort. Eight minutes into the second half China doubled their advantage when Wang unleashed a thunderous penalty corner strike to claim her second of the match. They added a third not long after when Tan nipped in ahead of Norval and poked home their only field goal of the game. China continued to apply pressure in the final quarter and were rewarded again as Zuo converted another well taken penalty corner to stretch the lead to four and close out a deserved victory. The defeat leaves South Africa third in the pool. The three best third placed teams will progress to the nine to sixteen playoff bracket while the other two drop into the seventeen to twenty four bracket. South Africa will now have to wait on the remaining results to see exactly where they land. Source: SAHockey.co.za