Defending champions Germany continued their reign in the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, defeating Spain 3-2 in a shoot-out after the two teams finished level at 1-1 in regulation time in the final played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.
Germany, making their 10th appearance in the final, secured their eighth title in the 13-day event, which began on November 28 and was held across Chennai and Madurai. The tournament concluded with a fitting finale that was decided via a shoot-out.
Germany took the lead in the 26th minute through Justus Warweg, who scored a field goal. Spain equalised in the 33rd minute, with Nicolas Mustaros finding the target.
In the shoot-out, Germany missed their first two attempts before converting the next three. Spain took a 1-0 lead when Pablo Roman scored off their second attempt after missing the first. However, Aleix Bozal and Andrés Medina missed their chances in the remaining attempts, leaving Spain heartbroken.
Germany extended their record of Men’s Junior World Cup titles to eight, powered by rising star Jasper Ditzer’s goalkeeping heroics.
The tension was palpable as Spain chased their maiden title in their first final, while Germany aimed to defend their crown. Both sides remained focused on defence, especially Germany, after taking the lead in the 26th minute.
Spain broke through three minutes after half-time, with Mustaros levelling the score at 1-1.
Neither team could capitalise on the penalty corners they earned—Spain had five, all in the goalless first quarter, while Germany had three.
The shoot-out went down to the 10th attempt. Germany started poorly, with Jonas von Gersum and Warweg failing to beat Spain’s goalkeeper Diego Palomero, who replaced Jan Capellades specifically for the shoot-out. Spain’s Pere Amat also missed their first attempt, but Pablo Roman scored to give his team the lead.
Germany equalised through Benedikt Geyer on their third attempt after Bozal missed for Spain. The Germans then handled the pressure well, converting their final two attempts through Alec von Schwerin and captain Ben Hasbach. Though Spain stayed alive with Juan Prado’s conversion, their last attempt by Andrés Medina was saved by Ditzer, sparking celebrations on the field and in the German dugout.
“Spain made it incredibly hard for us, and we didn’t have the best of our days in possession and in the moments of transition. But the boys always believed they could win in the shoot-out, which we did,” said Germany’s coach Mirko Stenzel after the title win. “It feels amazing—overwhelming as well. We didn’t really think about the seven titles you mentioned. We are just celebrating the present one. Incredibly proud of the boys, coming back from probably not the best of matches during this tournament or this year.”
Earlier, India defeated Argentina 4-2 to win the bronze medal for the first time, adding to their previous tally of two gold and one silver medals.
–IANS
