06 Dec, 2025 The Netherlands once again confirmed why they are the tournament’s leading contenders: they closed the pool phase with a commanding 13–0 win over Malaysia, reaching 31 goals scored without conceding and showing a level of tactical authority unmatched in Santiago. Iris de Kemp’s hat-trick and an offensive production with no comparison on Chilean turf underlined their dominance. Germany were the other major force of the day, securing the top spot in their pool with a solid 8–0 win over Namibia, driven by four goals from Lynn Krings in a performance that reinforced their strength heading into the quarter-finals. The fifth day in the Chilean capital also delivered decisive results for the final pool standings: Japan beat Chile 3–1 to confirm their qualification, Korea produced a memorable comeback to defeat New Zealand 3–2, and India imposed a clear 4–0 win over Ireland to advance with authority. The United States completed the list of standout winners with a 3–1 victory over Uruguay, securing first place in their group. A day that clarified the landscape and left the main contenders well positioned ahead of the decisive knockout stage. Below is the full breakdown of all matches on Day 5 in Santiago. Ireland vs India (Full-Time Score: 0–4) On the synthetic turf of the National Stadium Hockey Centre, India set the tone from the start with nine circle penetrations in the first quarter and the opening goal in the 12th minute, when Siwach Kanika finished a field play after sustained high pressing. Ireland, by contrast, were unable to generate penalty corners and produced only one circle entry, relying on a compact defensive block to withstand India’s superiority. In the second quarter India kept control, earning three consecutive penalty corners and creating seven additional entries, though without increasing the lead. After half-time, the Asian side intensified their dominance: nine more circle penetrations and the 2–0 goal from a penalty corner converted by Purnima Yadav in the 42nd minute. In the final quarter, India closed the match with two late goals: Rana Sakshi made it 3–0 in the 57th minute and Yadav completed her brace moments later for the 4–0 final score. India finished with 30 circle entries and eight penalty corners, while Ireland had 11 entries and none from the set play, in a match controlled from start to finish. India captain Jyoti Singh thanked those in the stands and the fans following the match on Watch.Hockey, and said, “Thank you so much for watching. As I said, thank you for being there and keep supporting us. I’m pretty much sure we will do better in the next match as well.” Germany vs Namibia (Full-Time Score: 8–0) Germany entered the second match knowing that a win would secure first place in their pool, and they quickly imposed their structure. After a sequence of early circle penetrations and five penalty corners in the first quarter, Lynn Krings redirected a set-play action in the 5th minute to open the scoring. In the second quarter the dominance became a rout: Johanna Hachenberg made it 2–0 in the 18th minute, Lena Frerichs struck for 3–0 in the 20th, and Martina Reisenegger extended the lead to 4–0 in the 24th. Near the end of the half, a new penalty corner ended with a clean hit from Katharina Becker for 5–0, with Germany producing 23 circle entries and nine PCs against a rival unable to enter the circle. After the break, Germany maintained their rhythm and completed an overwhelming performance both in open play and from the set piece. Krings completed her hat-trick and then her fourth goal between the 35th and 43rd minutes, first finishing inside the circle and then converting another penalty corner sequence for 7–0 and 8–0. With 60 circle entries, 20 penalty corners and four conversions, Jakob Cyrus’s team managed their lead without difficulty against a Namibia side that recorded only a single entry. Germany closed the pool stage with maximum points and a goal balance of 18 scored and only 2 conceded. Player of the Match and four-goal scorer Lynn Krings summarised the team’s feeling, said, “I think it was a great game, at first we were not that good but it kept getting better and I’m really excited for the quarter-finals. I’m so proud of our team, we had a really good group stage and now we are looking forward to playing the quarter-final.” New Zealand vs Korea (Full-Time Score: 2–3) New Zealand and Korea delivered one of the most dramatic matches of Day 5 at the National Stadium Hockey Centre. After a first half without goals, with the Oceania team more incisive in attack (seven circle entries in Q1 and five in Q2), New Zealand failed to convert their chances, including their lone penalty corner in the second quarter, and briefly lost momentum following a green card to Emma Findlay. In the third quarter New Zealand finally reflected their dominance on the scoreboard: Emelia Surridge scored the 1–0 in the 30th minute and doubled the lead in the 44th, both as field goals following collective moves and high recoveries near the circle. Korea, however, produced a decisive late surge in Q4, with only five circle entries but perfect efficiency in front of goal: Lee Sugyeong reduced the deficit in the 47th minute, Park Hyeonjeong equalised in the 49th, and Hong Solbeotnara completed the 2–3 comeback in the 57th. New Zealand closed with 26 entries and four unsuccessful penalty corners, while Korea—despite only 11 entries and a single PC—claimed a vital win to stay in contention for the top positions. Korea captain and Player of the Match Park Seoyeon expressed her joy after the comeback, said, “Obviously we worked so hard to get here and I feel like our hard work has paid off for this game and for what’s gonna come”. Netherlands vs Malaysia (Full-Time Score: 13–0) The Netherlands imposed their structure from the outset, combining high pressing and sustained circle entries to produce three goals in the first quarter

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05 Dec, 2025 Chennai’s Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium lit-up on Friday, which saw the four quarter-finals of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 producing breathtaking finishes, with all matches going down to the wire. Spain, Argentina, Germany and India entered the semi-finals, with shootouts deciding the wins for defending champions Germany and two-time winners India. Meanwhile, defeats for Netherlands and Belgium ended their hopes of winning their maiden Junior World Cup title. Here’s how the first knockout stage of the tournament panned out: Spain vs New Zealand (Full-Time Score: 4-3) In a thrilling finish that is not for the faint-hearted, the first quarter-final turned out to be a heavyweight boxing bout that went to the last round,with both Spain and New Zealand refusing to be knocked out. In a rare finish, the crowd in Chennai saw the equaliser as well as the winning goal in the final minuteof play. But whilethe Spaniardsbroke into celebrations after BrunoAvila converted a penalty corner tosignal his team’s4-3win, the Blacks Sticks had their heads in hands having equalized a few seconds before through Sam Lints’s second goal. Spain began the first match of the last-eight stage like a bullet train, racing to a 3-0 lead in the first 12 minutes – thanks to Nicolas Mustaros, Josep Martin and Albert Serrahima’s field goals. New Zealand looked down for the count but were lifted by Lints’s first goal of the match in the 22ndminute, which kept Black Sticks in it at 3-1 at half-time. Ryan Parr reducedtheSpanish lead further when his 34th-minute penalty-corner conversion brought the Black Sticks within one goal of making things even. Spain fortified their backline thereafter, as the next 25 minutes saw both the teams standing tall in defence. The climax turned out to be a classic one with Lints’s equaliser in the 60thminute, but Avila made it a happy one for Spain,strikingjust before the final hooter to clinch the humdinger 4-3 for a place in the semi-finals. “We have qualified and feel so happy. It was a very hard match. In the first half, we were so good and dominated the match. In the second half, it was a little harder with the cards and with goals by them (New Zealand). We just defended and defended before finally winning the match with a goal in the last minute,” said Pere Amat in his analysis of the match. France vs Germany [Full-Time Score: 2 (1) – 2 (3 SO)] The second knockout game of the day saw a rematch ofthelast edition’s final between defending champions Germany and France. The French team, who had lost 1-2 in the 2023 Junior Men’s World Cup final, tested the Germans even more this time as it took a tiebreaking shootout after 2-2 at full-time for the trophy-holders to keep their title defence alive. Germany won the shootout 3-1 to become the second team to enter the semis, with Jonas von Gersum, Justus Warweg and Lukas Kosselconverting for the reigning champions.ForFrance, only Aristide Michaelis was able to beat German goalkeeper Jasper Ditzer, who foiled three French attempts to earn the Player-of-the-Match award Earlier in the regulation period, the lead kept exchanging hands and the four quarters couldn’t decide the winner, ending at 2-2. Forthe first29 of those 60 minutes, the two teams kept testing each other’s defence but couldn’t breach it. And all of a sudden the game saw two goals in the 30thminute. Alec von Schwerin put Germany ahead,butonly to see France equalising moments later with Malo Martinache’s penalty-corner strike. Paul Glander restored Germany’s lead after the break at 2-1 with his 36th-minute goal, after which their defensive structure held firm deep into the final quarter. But the 55thminute saw Hugo Dolou making it even-steven at 2-2 and France held onto that to force a shootout. Speaking after the match,German captain Ben Hasbachsaid:“It’s an amazing feeling. It was a very good team effort. We had a difficult first half but fought our way back into the game in the second half to win it; we deserved it. Over the whole year, we have been good in the last (two) quarters. We are a very good team and brought that to the pitch today.” Netherlands vs Argentina (Full-Time Score: 0-1) Two-times former winners Argentina and their captain Tomas Ruiz saved their best for the last against the Netherlands, after the two sides kept exchanging blows but failed to break the deadlock until the game saw its decisive goalin the final quarter. The moment gave the Argentines a 1-0 win for a spot in the last four and ended the Dutch hopes of a maiden title. The fiercely-contested game saw the umpires showing cards as many as eight times. Five of those were yellow-card suspensions, and four times it was an Argentine playerwho wassent out for five minutes. At one point the Argentina team was playing with nine players, when Ruiz and Bruno Correa were both yellow-carded in the 21stminute. The game kept the two on-field umpires busier but didn’t produce any goals until the 52nd-minute penalty corner earned by Argentina thatsawRuizscoring. Interestingly,Netherlands’s Thies Bakker (53rdminute) andRuiz(55thminute)wereshown a yellow card,reducing both the teams to 10 men. But theArgentinesdefended in numbers, led by some brilliant goalkeeping by Joaquin S Ruiz, to protect their 1-0 lead, andtheysucceeded in it to progress to the semi-finals. “We train every day and play every ball as itisthe last one. We are positive every day, in every moment and we deserve this. We are in the semifinals,” saida delightedMateo Serranoof Argentina. India vs Belgium [Full-Time Score: 2 (4) – 2 (3)] A vociferous crowd at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium was entertained to a dramatic finish in the most-awaited match of the day, which culminated with an edge-of-the-seat shootout after 60 minutes of pulsating hockey finished at 2-2. The quarter-finals ended with the result that the home crowed wanted – India won the shootout 4-3, thanks to star performances by goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh and Sharda Nand Tiwari. The high-voltage

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05 Dec, 2025 Day 4 of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup City of Santiago 2025 delivered one of the largest scorelines of the tournament as China defeated Austria 11-0, supported by a hat-trick from Wang Lihang and sustained efficiency from set pieces. England also collected three points with a 4–1 win over South Africa, while Canada and Scotland drew 1-1 in a match defined by alternating phases of territorial control. Australia secured progression to the next round with a 4-2 victory over Spain, consolidating their position among the contenders for the title in Chile. The day closed with a 1-1 draw between Belgium and Argentina, two evenly matched teams who mirrored each other’s structure in a balanced contest decided by a penalty corner at each end. Below is the full breakdown of all matches on Day 4 in Santiago. South Africa vs England (Full-Time Score: 1-4) At the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped of the Estadio Nacional, England established control from the start, settling in the attacking half and generating thirteen circle entries in the opening quarter. That pressure translated into the 1-0 goal from Freya Robinson in the 10th minute following a penalty corner sequence. South Africa adjusted their shape in the second quarter, producing six circle entries and four penalty corners, but were unable to convert that period of pressure into clear shots on target, keeping the score unchanged at half-time. After the break, England regained full command of the structure and moved 2–0 ahead in the 43rd minute through a field goal by Lottie Bingham. In the final phase, they consolidated the result with set-piece efficiency: Biba Mills added a penalty corner goal and later scored from a penalty stroke to make it 4-0. South Africa reduced the margin in the 55th minute through Ntsopa Mokoena, their only conversion after fourteen circle entries and four penalty corners, compared with England’s thirty-two entries and nine PCs. England managed the closing minutes with an organised defensive block to secure the 4-1 result. England forward Sofia Martin said, “We have been working really hard recently and this performance reflects that, especially after the 2-2 against China. We are happy to score four today, we will keep building for the next game against Australia and we really appreciate all the support from home and in the stands.” China vs Austria (Full-Time Score: 11-0) In the second match of the day at the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped in Santiago, China, who had drawn their opening fixture, quickly imposed full control on the synthetic turf. With thirteen circle entries and five penalty corners in the first quarter, they went 2-0 up through goals from Wei Qixiao and Li Jingyi, while Austria did not register a single circle entry. The pattern continued in the second quarter as China held 67% possession, generated seven additional circle entries and extended the score to 5-0 with further goals from Li Jingyi, captain Hao Guoting and Tan Lei, keeping Austria deep inside their 23m. After half-time, China’s dominance shifted decisively to set pieces. Across the third and fourth quarters, they produced eighteen circle entries and twelve penalty corners, converting six of them to complete the 11-0 result, with a hat-trick from Wang Lihang and additional goals from Zuo Dandan, Hu Linyuan and a second from Hao Guoting. Austria managed only three circle entries and one penalty corner across the entire match, without finding ways to disrupt China’s structure or reach the scoreboard. Chinese player Wang Liheng, the best player of the match, said, “We worked together in a good spirit.” Canada vs Scotland (Full-Time Score: 1-1) In the first match of the afternoon, Scotland struck early and maintained long spells of control but ultimately left with the feeling of a missed opportunity against a Canada side that showed significant improvement from their opening match. The European team opened the scoring in the 8th minute through Mhairi Low after one of their ten circle entries in the first quarter and held the 1–0 lead until half-time, supported by a constant attacking presence marked by fourteen circle entries in the first half. Canada, meanwhile, did not register circle entries or penalty corners before the break. After half-time, Canada adjusted their pressing structure and pushed higher up the pitch, finding better passing connections and generating four circle entries and three penalty corners across the second half. The equaliser arrived in the 30th minute when Zoe Furber finished an attacking transition to make it 1-1. Scotland maintained the initiative until the end, accumulating thirty-four circle entries and six PCs overall, but were unable to translate that volume into a decisive goal and were left to settle for a draw. Canada captain Katherine Gibb said, “We grew a lot from our game against Australia, we defended hard together and now we just need to keep playing forward and attacking as a group.” Zimbabwe vs Wales (Full-Time Score: 0-3) Wales established territorial control early on the synthetic turf of the Estadio Nacional, generating repeated circle entries and sustained pressure across Q1 and Q2, although they were unable to convert their six first-half penalty corners. Zimbabwe sat in a low block, cutting passing lanes and managing transitions to limit danger, despite receiving a green card in the opening quarter. Upon the restart, Wales found efficiency through set pieces: Cradden opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a penalty stroke following a sequence of consecutive PCs. In Q4, Wales maintained depth and possession, extending the lead with another penalty stroke converted by Witham in the 56th minute and a field goal from Diamond in the 57th, both emerging from quick recoveries and control inside the attacking third. Zimbabwe generated two late penalty corners but were unable to break the Welsh defensive structure, with Wales remaining in contention for the top positions with this win. Player of the Match Eloise Moat said, “We’re really happy. After half-time we stepped it up and showed the intensity we wanted. We’re proud of the team,

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04 Dec, 2025 The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 entered the classification rounds for the 9-16 and 17-24 positions on Thursday in Madurai and Chennai after a day’s break. The teams missing out on the quarterfinals are now vying for the best possible finish, with the best placed team in the 17-24 bracket also receiving the Challenger Trophy, an initiative from FIH President Tayyab Ikram. The day saw exciting hockey across eight matches in Madurai and Chennai, including the tournament’s first shootout, a historic win for Bangladesh and a tough grind for Australia. Here’s a blow-by-blow account of the proceedings. Namibia vs Austria [Full-Time Score: 2(0)-2(2)] The opening match for the 17thto 24thclassification positions produced the first shootout of the tournament that saw Austria scoring two goals to Namibia’s none and take home a win after the regulation time of 60 minutes ended at 2-2 in Madurai. All four goals were scored in the second half, as Namibia broke the deadlock in the 40thminute with John-Paul Britz’s penalty-corner strike. The next five minutes saw the game swinging like a pendulum. Austria equalised in the 42ndminute through Benedikt Meisel. The very next minute, Britz scored again off a PC to put Namibia ahead 2-1 but Austria closed the third quarter by making it 2-2, thanks to Julian Kaiser converting a PC. The last quarter didn’t produce any goals, and the match progressed to a tie-breaking shootout. Namibia’s one-one-one skills produced four disappointing failures, as Abraham Graham, Josh van der Merwe, James de Jager and Mathew Lassen failed to go past Austrian goalkeeper Lorenz Breitenecker. The two conversions for Austria by Meisel and Andor Losonci, thus, proved enough to confirm victory. “I had to keep the ball outside my goal. I specialise in shootout. I don’t know what else to say. I am really happy about it,” said Austria’s custodian and shootout star Brietenecker. “We are really motivated for the Challenger Trophy and want to give our best.” Bangladesh vs Oman (Full-Time Score: 13-0) Bangladesh outplayed Oman in Madurai, producing 13 goals to register a comprehensive and historic first win – courtesy a penalty-corner masterclass produced by Amirul Islam who scored five goals. Rakibul Hasan too scored a hat-trick, hitting three field goals. The Oman defence was left to fend off a flurry of Bangladeshi attacks that produced five more goals off the sticks of Mohammad Abdullah and Mohammad Saju, both of who scored a brace, while Obidul Joy struck once. “Winning is always good. That’s why we play hockey, to win. I think we progressed with every match,” said Bangladesh coach Siegfried Aikman. “Our target is to improve match by match and play the best hockey we can. We were in a tough pool but that gave us an opportunity to play at a level that we have never done. This World Cup with 24 teams is a blessing for teams like us. Now we know where we have to improve.” England vs Chile (Full-Time Score: 3-1) Disappointed to not be among the quarterfinalists, England began their classification-round (9thto 16thplace) journey with a 3-1 win over Chile at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai. The English team got themselves into a comfortable position by the 19thminute, scoring two goals — produced by Kaden Draysey and Max Anderson. The second quarter witnessed two more goals, with Chile cutting England’s lead to 2-1 when Javier Vargas got on the scoresheet in the 23rdminute. But Jonny Sturch-Hibbitt’s goal four minutes later restored England’s two-goal advantage at 3-1. The last two quarters saw some shoddy finishing, especially by England, leaving the second half of the match devoid of any goals. “It was a good (game). We needed to come out with good energy and the boys did well to getover the line. Looking forward to the next game and we’ll try to win every game from here,” said England’s Cole Pidcock. Looking back at the pool stage, he added, “We had a first game against Holland, probably one of the better teams here. We played really well; in fact, I think we played well the entire tournament.” Korea vs Egypt (Full-Time Score: 6-3) After struggling to hit their stride in the pool stage, Korea defeated Egypt 6-3 in Madurai on Thursday. Minhyeok Lee stole the thunder with four goals – three off penalty corners and one off a penalty stroke. Korea led 3-1 at half-time. After Egypt scored the first goal of the match in the 8thminute through Basel Abdelmonem on a penalty corner, the Koreans levelled it up with Lee’s first goal in the 18thminute. Soon after in the second quarter, JeongSeob Song and Seowon Park also found the mark to make it 3-1. Lee increased that lead to 4-1 just two minutes into the third quarter but Egypt and Abdelmonem’s second goal pulled it back. In the final quarter, Lee scored his third and fourth goal in the 50thand 52ndminute to place Korea comfortably ahead at 6-2. Egypt did score their third goal through Mohamed Ghanem, but it only came in the final minute of the match. Speaking after the match, Korea’s captain Seunghan Son said, “I think we had a good start and did well to lead 3-1 at half-time. Then we scored three more goals and had a good time.” South Africa vs Malaysia (Full-Time Score: 3-1) Jaydon Brooker’s brace led South Africa’s fighting 3-1 win over Malaysia, after the match in Chennai opened with a goalless first quarter. Brooker ended the stalemate in the 18thminute off a penalty corner to take South Africa to half-time leading narrowly at 1-0. Nine minutes into the third quarter, he converted another PC to put his side ahead 2-0. Malaysia fought back in the third quarter, when a 48th-minute goal by Aqil Mat reduced South Africa’s lead to 2-1. But the game was put to bed by Ross Montgomery who got the South Africans their third goal on a penalty corner with just over two minutes left on

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