India’s bid to reach the final of the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup was halted once again after defending champions Germany handed them a crushing 5–1 defeat in the semi-final on Sunday, December 7. The loss means India, which last played the final in 2016 when they won the title in Lucknow, will now compete only in the 3rd-4th place playoff for the third consecutive edition. Germany’s dominant win also booked their place in the title clash against Spain.
The match slipped out of India’s grasp in the opening half itself. Lukas Kossel scored twice, while Titus Wex, Jonas van Gersum and Ben Hasbach added one goal each to seal Germany’s commanding victory. India’s goalkeeper Prince Deep — the hero of the quarter-final against Belgium — was called into action early, but the defence soon crumbled under German pressure. The breakthrough came in the 14th minute when a defensive error resulted in a penalty stroke that Kossel converted. Minutes later, Wex doubled the lead after his strike deflected off an Indian defender into the net.
India attempted to fight back in the second quarter but struggled to break through Germany’s compact and disciplined defence. Just before halftime, Kossel struck again from a penalty corner to make it 3–0, leaving India with an uphill battle. The hosts returned strongly in the third quarter and forced a few saves from the German goalkeeper, but the comeback hopes were dashed when van Gersum scored Germany’s fourth goal in the 40th minute. With India pushing high up the field in desperation, gaps opened up at the back, and Hasbach capitalised to make it 5–0.
India earned late penalty corners and finally got on the scoreboard through Anmol Ekka, but the consolation goal arrived far too late to alter the outcome. Germany controlled the match throughout and sealed a well-deserved place in the final, where they will face Spain on December 10. India will take on Argentina in the playoff for the bronze medal on the same day.
