Liam Holdermann (in white, right) celebrates scoring what later turns out to be the winning goal for Germany against France in the final. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR – The 13th edition of the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup concluded on December 16 (Saturday) at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The 11-day competition saw 16 teams from around the world vying for the prestigious title.
Germany emerged victorious by coming back from a goal down to defeat France 2-1 in the final, claiming their seventh title in the tournament’s history.
The young German team – who are also known as the ‘junior Honomas’ – secured their fourth title on Malaysian soil after successes in Kuala Lumpur (1982), Ipoh (1989), and Johor Bahru (2009).
The match between Malaysia and Chile during the Men’s Junior World Cup at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on December 6. The Junior Tigers would win 7-1. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023
France who held the record for scoring earliest in the tournament, finished second in the tournament under the leadership of head coach Matthias Dierckens.
Spain, considered the dark horse of the tournament, who came with a team with the highest number of senior players, finished third and also became the highest-scoring team with a total of 27 goals scored over the course of six games.
Malaysian goalkeeper Muhammad Danish Afnan attempts to save a shot from Australian player Jake Lambeth during the match between Malaysia and Australia on December 8. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023
Malaysia, who played in their 12th Junior World Cup, unfortunately ended their campaign in the 12th position, marking it their worst finish as the host of the tournament since the 2009 edition in Johor Bahru, where they also finished in the 12th spot.
The Young Tigers scored 17 goals and conceded a total of 15.
In terms of accolades, France’s skipper Gaspard Xavier won the tournament’s Rising Star award, Belgium’s Hugo Labouchere was the top scorer with nine goals, while German custodian Joshua Onyekwue was named Best Goalkeeper.
Fahmy of Egypt being pressured by Canadian players during the thirteenth to sixteenth place classification match. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023
A total of 270 goals were scored in the 13th edition of the tournament, with an average of 5.63 goals per match.
Here are some clicks of the action from Scoop’s visual team. – December 19, 2023
Some of the match action between Australia and Chile on December 6. Australia would go on to win 7-1. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023The match between Netherlands and Belgium on December 7. The Netherlands would win the game with a score of 5-3. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023Liam Holdermann makes a pass to the opponent’s goal during the tense quarterfinal match between Germany and Argentina on December 12. Germany would win 2-1. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023Pakistan trying to get the ball from Spain’s Nicholas Alvarez during the match between Pakistan and Spain. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023The final match between historic rivals Germany and France on December 17. Germany would clinch their seventh title with a 2-1 score. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023Spanish players celebrate their goal against Pakistan during their quarter-finals clash. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023France’s Xavier Gaspard (below) is brought down by Germany’s Sperling Florian during the finals match. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023Germany celebrates winning their seventh Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup title, which is also their fourth triumph on Malaysian soil. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 19, 2023
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