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

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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