The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 saw India lose 4-1 to six-time champion Germany in the semi-final on Thursday at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s National Hockey Stadium, ending their hopes of winning the tournament.
India, the two-time FIH Hockey Junior World Cup champions, tied the score in the first quarter after Ben Hasbach (8′, 30′) put Germany ahead. Sudeep Chirmako (11′) scored the equaliser. The inability of the Indian men’s hockey team to convert 12 penalty corners, however, proved to be the decisive factor as Germany advanced to their ninth final in 13 editions thanks to goals from Paul Glander (41′) and Florian Spirling (58′) in the second half.
For third place on Saturday, India will take on the winner of the second semi-final, either France or Spain.
Global No. 3 India got off to a strong start in the game, winning two penalty corners in the first four minutes. But Ben Hasbach’s field goal in the eighth minute gave the second-placed German team the early advantage. In the eleventh minute, Sudeep Chirmako scored another field goal to give India a quick response.
It was a close contest in the second quarter. India did have several penalty corner opportunities, but they were unable to turn any of them into goals. In the final minute of the second quarter, Germany was awarded their first penalty corner of the game, and they took full advantage of it, as Ben Hasbach scored his second goal.
India gained their 11th penalty corner with six minutes remaining in the third quarter after starting the quarter strongly and being rewarded for their aggressive play, but Germany was able to hold them off. With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Paul Glander added to the lead by converting Germany’s second penalty corner.
In the last quarter, the Indians launched a large-scale attack, but they were unable to breach the German defence. With under ten minutes left in the match, India saw hope in the form of two consecutive penalty corners; however, the German defence stood firm, and neither was converted.
With just a few minutes remaining, Florian Spirling scored Germany’s fourth goal to secure their spot in the championship game. India ultimately lost the match 4-1, leaving their defence exposed as they looked for an answer.
The Indian hockey team advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating the Republic of Korea 4-2 and Canada 10-1, but earlier in the season, they lost to Spain 4-1 in their group and finished second in their group. The Netherlands was defeated 4-3 by them in the quarterfinals.
In 2001 and 2016, India won the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup. They finished fourth in the previous edition in 2021 after losing to France in the bronze medal match.