Sports Bulletin

Lausanne, Switzerland (SB Report):-Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) approved the participation of South Africa and Canada in the third edition of the Men’s FIH Hockey Pro League. As informed earlier, this participation is temporary and limited to this edition only. Both teams replace Australia and New Zealand, who had to pull out of the current season due to COVID-related international travel constraints. “It’s great that both South Africa and Canada are joining the FIH Hockey Pro League. Both teams are the first ones from Africa and North America to join the Men’s League, which is excellent for the growth and globalisation of hockey”, FIH CEO Thierry Weil commented. The first Pro League matches of the year in 2022 will involve the Women’s teams of China and India. They will take place on 31 January – 1 February in Thailand, where both teams will be to play the Women’s Asia Cup 2022.

Bhubaneswar, India (SB Report):-Lautaro Domene scored a hat-trick of penalty corners to help Argentina become men’s Junior World Cup champions for the second time in their history, beating Germany 4-2 in a superb competition final in Bhubaneswar. Domene’s achievement was made more remarkable by the fact that Argentina won just three penalty corners in the entire match, with the drag-flicker finishing with a 100 percent conversion rate as his team added a second men’s Junior World Cup title to the one claimed in Rotterdam in 2005. The result ended Germany’s quest for a seventh men’s Junior World Cup title and brought the curtain down on a superb competition at the Kalinga Stadium. Earlier in the day, France – inspired by Player of the Tournament Timothée Clément – defeated India to claim the bronze medal while Netherlands and Spain were respective winners over Belgium and Malaysia in the 5-6 and 7-8 classification matches. 1st – 2nd Place: Argentina beat Germany 4-2 In a magnificent contest, Argentina produced the most clinical of displays to overcome the six times champions, with a perfect penalty corner conversion record and an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Nehuen Hernando proving vital. Lautaro Domene netted penalty corner drag-flicks in each of the first two quarters, leaving Germany with a mountain to climb in the remaining 30 minutes. And climb it they did, with Julius Heyner – earlier given a 10-minute yellow card suspension for a coming together with Argentina’s Joaquin Toscani – firing home from close range before Masi Phandt’s deflected penalty corner effort rocketed into the roof of Hernando’s goal with 13 minutes remaining. However, Domene made it three penalty corner conversions from three attempts in the 50th minute before Hernando pulled off some astonishing saves to deny Germany another equaliser. Argentina sealed their second men’s Junior World Cup title when Franco Agostini fired into an empty net in the final minute, with Germany having replaced their goalkeeper with an outfield player in a final attempt to salvage the situation. “We cannot explain our feelings in this moment”, said a delighted Lautaro Domene, the Player of the Match, after the contest. “It is difficult to know what we are thinking. We knew that this team could do it. We played together, as we have done in the other games. We committed as a team, and that is the most important thing. It is a craziness that we cannot explain, what it is to win this tournament. It’s beautiful, and we are very proud of this team.” Germany captain Hannes Muller said: “First of all, congratulations to Argentina for their win. I think the first half was not good for us. Too many technical mistakes, not enough pressure on the ball. The second half was a little bit better but, in the end, we lost the final. At this moment it’s hard to understand that.” 3rd – 4th Place: France beat India 3-1 France captain Timothée Clément netted his fourth hat-trick in six matches at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, firing his team to the bronze medal with a 3-1 win over host nation India. The home side dominated the early stages and even managed to hit the post, but France grew into the contest and edged ahead four minutes before half time thanks to Clément’s superb penalty corner drag-flick. Clément netted another penalty corner early in the third quarter, but India hit back through Sudeep Chirmako’s brilliant reverse scooped finish to leave give his team hope in the latter stages. It was Clément however, who would have the final say, with his deflected fourth quarter penalty corner effort completing his personal treble and securing a superb bronze medal for this hugely gifted young French team. “What an emotion!”, said France captain Timothée Clément, who was named Player of the Match. “Two days ago, it was very difficult to lose in the semi-final. It was very important to finish like this. We have a bronze medal. It’s just amazing! And this team is perfect. Wow! We are very happy for French hockey. The future generation is here and I think we have a really, really great future!” India’s Vivek Sagar Prasad said: “It was a really good match, a very close one. Congratulations to the French team! We’re very disappointed. As players, we will all work to improve in the future.” 5th – 6th Place: Netherlands beat Belgium 6-4 The Low Countries derby battle for fifth position went the way of the Netherlands, who earned a 6-4 victory against Belgium. The Netherlands raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Miles Bukkens (2) and Brent van Bijnen before Belgium hit back through Thibault Deplus. Bukkens completed his hat-trick just before half time to take the score to 4-1, but two goals in three third quarter minutes from Roman Duvekot pulled the Belgians to within one goal of their opponents. However, strikes from Guus Jansen and Casper van der Veen sealed the win for the Netherlands, with Belgium’s Jeff de Winter scoring the final goal of a thrilling match eight minutes from full time. “We had a good game plan, We started really well and scored four goals”, said Guus Jansen, the Player of the Match. “In the first part of the second half, we lost it a bit but with the good work of the whole team we managed to take the win home. That’s a great feeling. Overall, it’s a little shame that we didn’t finish first. That’s what we came for. But after all, we won a lot of games, we lost one a little bit unfortunate. But after all, great World championships! Very happy.” Belgium captain Dylan Englebert said: “We were not used to concede as many goals as today, so we lack a little bit of focus in this part. For sure the second half was better, but they played well, both defensively and offensively. Congrats to them! For sure, we’re a bit disappointed to not have reached the semi-finals because we felt we had a good opportunity to go to it but I think we showed a lot of good things, with a strong team that plays together, that defends well. That’s why we are a little bit frustrated today to end with 6 goals against.” 7th – 8th Place: Spain beat Malaysia 4-1 Spain were victorious in the 7th place play-off match, powering to a 4-1 triumph over Malaysia in a rain delayed contest at the start of the day. Malaysia opened the match scoring in the 4th minute through team captain Akhimullah Anuar’s field goal, with parity being restored by Eduard de Ignacio-Simo’s open play effort three minutes later. The two sides were locked together until 11 minutes from the end of the contest, when Pau Cunill fired home from a penalty corner. Late penalty corner goals from both Pepe Cunill and Pau Cunill ensured victory went the way of the Spaniards, with Malaysia finishing the competition in eighth position.  “We had really tough matches and we’ve learnt from these matches”, said Spain’s Pepe Cunill, the Player of the Match. “So, at half-time, we told us that we had to get through this match and put a lot of energy in it. I’m happy to end up this tournament with a win, but I think that we could have achieved another position in the final standings. Malaysia’s Akhimullah Anuar said: “We all gave our best. We played our game. We had a lot of chances, but we missed. Spain took every chance and scored. Throughout the tournament, I think our performance improved. But we still have more to improve in the future.” Final standings 1: Argentina 2: Germany 3: France 4: India 5: Netherlands 6: Belgium 7: Spain 8: Malaysia 9: South Africa 10: Korea 11: Pakistan 12: Poland 13: Canada 14: Chile 15: USA 16: Egypt Competition Awards Best Player of the Tournament: Timothée Clément (FRA) Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Anton Brinckman (GER) Hero Top Scorer of the Tournament: Miles Bukkens (NED) (18 goals) Odisha Fair Play Award: Team Chile Odisha Fans Choice Award for Best Goal of the Tournament: Ignacio Nardolillo (ARG) Hockey India Maximum Team Goals: Netherlands (45 goals) Hockey India Best Goal Saved of the Tournament: Mahmoud Seleem (EGY) AM/NS India Best Coach of the Tournament: Johannes Schmitz (GER)

Bhubaneswar, India (SB Report):-South Africa produced a superb display to defeat Korea and secure their best ever finish at a men’s Junior World Cup as the 9th to 16th classification positions were decided in Bhubaneswar. The 4-0 triumph earned South Africa a ninth-place finish at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, surpassing their previous best of 10th which was achieved at the Lucknow 2016 edition of the competition. Pakistan, Canada and USA were also winners in their final matches, securing 11th, 13th and 15th positions respectively. 15th – 16th Place: USA 2-2 Egypt (3-0 on Shoot-Out) USA ended a difficult tournament on a winning note, fighting back from 2-0 down to claim an excellent draw against Egypt before triumphing in the shoot-out to snatch 15th position in the final standings. The Egyptians opened the scoring inside the first 60 seconds of the match when Abdelrahman Elganayni netted a penalty corner, with the same player doubling the advantage with a 24th minute field goal. Egypt held their two-goal lead until seven minutes from the end of the contest, when Tymen Kloen pulled a goal back from a penalty corner. Incredibly, Kloen struck again with a last-gasp open play effort to force the shoot-out in which the Americans dominated, with Kloen, Finlay Quale and team captain Jatin Sharma all converting to earn a 3-0 win in the one-on-ones.  We’ve improved a lot in this tournament”, said USA’’s Tymen Kloen, whose contribution rightly earned him the Player of the Match award. “We’re a very young squad and we have a lot of potential. I think we showed that today and we came up with a win. 0-2 down at half-time and we still win. This is a good sign.” 13th – 14th Place: Canada 2-1 Chile Canada snatched 13th place with a 2-1 win over Pan American rivals Chile in the second match of the day. Following two scoreless quarters, Canada took the lead with five minutes remaining in the third period when Christopher Tardif netted from open play, with Tanvir Kang scoring what proved to be the decisive goal midway through the fourth and final quarter. Chile’s Agustin Amoroso bagged a penalty corner with three minutes of the match left to play, setting up a tense finish to the contest. However, it was the Canadians who held on to secure 13th place, their highest finish since the 1985 Junior World Cup on home soil in Vancouver, where they also finished 13th. “I feel like we got better every single game in this tournament, we just sticked to the game plan and we got the result today”, said Canada’s Player of the Match John Jacoby. “There are so many learnings that we will bring home like the speed of the game, playing these crazy teams, it’s a lot!” Chile’s Nicolás Abujatum said: “They knew us, we knew them. These matches are decided by the team that makes less mistakes. We made mistakes that cost us to lose the game. Every player learnt a lot during this tournament. We have players with different ages, so each one has different things to learn. Some of us will not continue in the Juniors’ team, others will have more continental competitions, maybe World Cups, so I think we are learning how international matches are played.” 11th – 12th Place: Pakistan 5-0 Poland Pakistan proved too strong for Poland in the 11th – 12th classification match, running out comfortable winners against the Europeans in the third match of the day. The Junior Green Shirts exploded out of the blocks, taking a 2-0 lead in the opening six minutes thanks to two penalty corner conversions from Ali Rizwan. The team from Asia extended their lead to 4-0 ahead of half time, with Moin Shakeel firing home from open play before captain Abdul Rana netted from a penalty corner routine. Poland battled hard and made life difficult for their opponents after the break, with Pakistan only adding one more to their tally thanks to Mohammad Hammadudin’s field goal. “We were better structured today”, said Player of the Match Ali Ghazanfar of Pakistan. “We’ve learnt from our mistakes in the previous matches and today we have converted our goal opportunities. We didn’t play well against Germany, which was our first match in the tournament, but for the other matches we played very well. We improved match by match. Poland’s Jakub Mikolajczak said: “It wasn’t our day today. I think that Pakistan were just better. We have to work a lot until the next tournament. Participating in this World Cup was the best thing in my life! I’m one of the youngest players. See you soon!” 9th – 10th Place: South Africa 4-0 Korea South Africa’s best Junior World Cup finish came courtesy of a dominant display against Korea, with captain Guy Morgan producing a Player of the Match performance to help his team along the way. Morgan scored two sensational penalty corner drag-flicks, firing high into the net in the both the third and fourth quarters, giving his team a deserved lead following a score-less opening two periods. South Africa hit a third less than 60 seconds after their second, with Trevor de Lora firing home on the backhand before the result was put beyond all doubt seven minutes from the end when Zenani Kraai finished off a superb passing move to complete the match scoring.   “I think we had a bit of a slow start this evening, which was a bit frustrating from our side”, said South Africa’s Morgan after the match. "At half time, we worked it out in our heads, got back out there and made things happen, which was awesome. I’d like to say a massive thank you to the organisers, officials and everyone. It has been an amazing experience for everyone.” Korea captain Bae Soung Min said: “South Africa played very well, making the chances to get the goals. The tournament has been a good experience.”

Lahore (Sports Report):-Pakistan earned 11th position in the Junior Hockey World Cup 2021 after beating Poland 5-0 in their last position classification contest in India on Saturday. According to the details, in the match of 11th / 12th position in FIH Junior World Hockey Cup competitions held in Bhubaneswar, India, Pakistan defeated Poland by 5-0 goals and got 11th position. Pakistan scored three goals through penalty corners and two field goals for Pakistan. Rizwan Ali scored on the first two penalty corners with a fast drag flick while Captain Rana Waheed scored on a pass from teammate Rizwan Ali. Moin Shakeel and Hammad ud din Anjum scored field goals for Pakistan. Pakistan finished 11th in the event, as total 16 teams participated in FIH mega event. The final of the Junior World Hockey Cup will be played on Sunday Argentina and Germany. After Long awaited Eight years, the Pakistan team participating in the World Junior Hockey Cup was in Pool D along with the two finalists Germany and Argentina.

Lahore (Sports Report):-Pakistan hockey team is eager to perform in the event, we worked hard on fitness and tactical training of players, head coach national hockey team Khawja Junaid on Saturday. According to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) official, the national hockey lads are determined to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy 2021 to be played from December 14 to 22 in Dhaka, Bangladesh under the auspices of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) and it will be a world class tournament. Head Coach National Hockey Team Olympian Khawaja Junaid said: National Hockey Squad has not been able to participate in the international event since last 2 years. Players have been thoroughly trained, especially in four areas with special focus on physical fitness and tactical understanding. The training has significantly improved the skills, Physical fitness and performance of the players. Hockey fans will get to see a great game in this event. Six Asian teams are participating in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, including host country Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Korea, Japan and Malaysia. Pakistan hockey team will play its first match on December 14 against Japan while Pakistan will play against traditional rival India on December 16, 2021.

Bhubaneswar (SB Report):-Argentina and Germany to contest the final of the FIH Odisha Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 after a thrilling day of hockey action. There was the drama of shoot-outs; plenty of goals, some outstanding saves and, as always, heartbreak and joy as the tournament approaches the grand finale. In Sunday’s final Argentina and Germany will be meeting each other for the second time after the European team beat the South American side in a  tight 4-3 pool match. The third place contest will be between France and host nation India – again two teams that met in the pool stage, where France were 5-4 winners. Semi-final 1: France 0-0 Argentina (1-2 Shoot-out) Nehuen Hernando in the Argentina goal was the difference separating the two combatants in the first semi-final. In a tournament that had yielded so many goals, the 0-0 score-line at full-time was an indicator of the tense and tight nature of this game. During the match, France and Argentina played a canny game with neither side willing to take risks and push for a win. In previous matches both teams had played with an all-out attacking mindset; this was far from the case as the two teams probed and tested each other. For both teams, this was a totally different style of play with Argentina adapting to it quickest and looking the more dangerous in the early stages. During the first half, Argentina won three penalty corners to one French penalty corner, but neither side was able to capitalise. Both teams have great game managers in the shape of their captains Timothee Clement of France and Facundo Zarate of Argentina. What we saw during this match was these two players controlling their defences but further up the field a fear of mistakes inhibited the movement and decision-making of the midfield and forward players of both teams. Argentina goalkeeper Nehuen Hernando saved the first French attempt by Antonin Igua but Argentina’s advantage was lost when Zarate saw his attempt fly wide. Corentin Sellier then stepped up for France but Hernando again held his nerve to keep the striker out and it was Bautista Capurro who coolly scored his attempt and sent his side through to the final on Sunday, where they will meet Germany. Argentina’s captain Facundo Zarate said: “We are very happy and very proud. We trained very hard to get here and we have done well. Now we have to play another 60 minutes. “We are going to prepare like we have for the other matches. We are going to prepare equally well and play equally well.” A hugely disappointed Timothee Clement said: “It was a good game for the two teams. It is hard to lose in the semi-final. Now we focus on getting third place.” Semi-final 2: India 1-4 Germany Going into this match, both India and Germany had been through tough encounters with Belgium and Spain respectively and the tempo of the opening quarter reflected this. Here were two teams working at a high intensity and an equally high quality of competition. However, it was Germany who got the advantage in the opening quarter when Eric Kleinlein slotted home from a penalty corner to put his team ahead at the first break. That lead was doubled in the 21 minute when Philip Holzmüller scored. From this point on there was little doubt about the outcome. Germany scored twice more – through Julius Hayner and Kleinlein again and any Indian attacking moves were closed down by the German defence. India did score. Surdeep Chimarko made it 3-1 and gave his team hope but Head Coach Graham Reid will be disappointed that his side failed to deliver the creativity and speed that had been their hallmark in earlier games. The second Indian goal came in the final minute and was scored by Boby Dhami. Player of the Match, Masi Pfandt said: “It is a pleasure for me to stand here and I am so happy to be in the final. We played as a team. We know Argentina is a good team, we played them in the pool [Germany won 4-3] and it was tight but if we play as we did today, then we have a good chance of winning” India’s captain Vivek Prasad said: “It was a great match and a very tight match. Germany played very well and congratulations to them. I hope we can win bronze. That is what we will focus on now. “France is a great team. They beat us in the pool match [5-4] so it will not be easy but we will do our best.” In the 5th-8th place classification matches, Belgium overcame Spain and Netherlands comfortably beat Malaysia. The match reports are below. Belgium 2-2 Spain (4-3 shoot-out) Earlier in the day Belgium squeezed every last ounce of effort to haul in and eventually overcome Spain. This was a game that went to the wire, with Spain dominating the opening half with two goals from Pau Cunill giving the Spanish team a 2-0 cushion at half-time. Belgium fought back with goals from Jeremy Wilbers and Thibeau Stockbroekx to force a shoot-out. An efficient and calm performance from the Belgium players, combined with some very good goalkeeping by Pierre de Gratie saw the Belgium team win the shoot-out with relative ease. Player of the Match Thibeau Stockbroekx said: “We didn’t start so well but I tried to keep the team up. The second half was for us and I think we did really well. In the first half we were lacking of energy and the basics were not there. At half-time, we discussed it, we put some energy in the team and that helped us a lot.” For Spain, the result was the second disappointment following their defeat at the hands of Germany in the previous round. Alvaro Portugal said: “It’s a little bit like two days ago against Germany. We had the lead almost all the match and then at the end we conceded two goals. We have to improve that. We cannot permit that. We had another chance but we didn’t not convert it. This is a bit frustrating. It’s disappointing but it is what it is.” Netherlands 9-3 Malaysia The second match saw Malaysia steamrollered in the opening quarter by a Netherlands team intent on making up for their previous match, where they lost to Argentina. Three goals in 15 minutes gave Netherlands a cushion to launch further attacks, although Malaysia rallied to shut down the Dutch in the second quarter. The third quarter, however, saw Netherlands once more  pile the pressure on with a further three goals, with Luke Dommershuijzen chalking up a hat trick. The last few minutes of fourth quarter was a wholly different affair as Malaysia threw caution to the wind and went in search of goals of their own. They had already scored a consolation through Mohammad Khalid but in the 59th minute Akimullah Anuar found the net before his teammate Firadus Rosdi added a third. However, Netherlands also kept pushing and added three more goals of their own. The final score of 9-3 underlined the difference in performance and speed of play between the two teams on this occasion. Player of the Match Luke Dommershuijzen said: “After Wednesday’s match [in which Netherlands lost to Argentina], it was hard to play but it was good today. “Our match against Belgium will be a hard game but we trust in our systems and we also trust everyone in the team.”

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 3, 2021):-Pakistan will meet India on December 17, 2021 in the Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy (AMHCT), as the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) announced a 20-member national hockey squad on Friday. Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy is scheduled to be rolled off from December 14, at Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to an official of PHF, Mohammad Umar Bhatta will lead the Pakistan team while Ali Shan will be his deputy during the 9-day international hockey showpiece. Besides Pakistan, India, Republic of Korea, Japan, Malaysia and the hosts Bangladesh team will fight for top honour. Green Shirts will face Japan in their first match of the championship on December 14, 2021. Names of selected players: Waqar (Wapda), Abdullah Ishtiaq (Mari Petroleum), Fullbacks: Mubashir Ali (Wapda), Ammad Shakeel Butt (National Bank), Tazeem ul Hassan (Mari Petroleum), Mohammad Abdullah (Mari Petroleum), Aqeel Ahmed (Mari Petroleum) Halfbacks: Abu Bakar Mahmood (National Bank), Moin Shakeel (WAPDA), Hamad-ud-Din Anjum (WAPDA), Ghazanfar Ali (Mari Petroleum, Azfar Yaqoob (Sui Southern Gas)) Forwards: Mohammad Umar Bhatta (WAPDA), Ali Shan (Sui Southern Gas), Ejaz Ahmed (WAPDA), Rana Waheed (WAPDA), Junaid Manzoor (National Bank), Afraz (Mari Petroleum), Ahmed Nadeem (Mari Petroleum) and Mohammad Salman Razzaq (WAPDA). Olympian Khawaja Junaid will perform the duties of head coach while other two coaches including Olympian Syed Sameer Hussain (PAF), Ajmal Khan Lodhi (Sialkot) will be assistants. Nadeem Khan Lodhi (Sialkot) and Dr Syed Asad Abbas will be other team officials. Schedule: December 14, 2021 India Vs Korea Malaysia Vs Bangladesh Pakistan Vs Japan December 15, 2021 India Vs Bangladesh Pakistan Vs Malaysia Japan Vs Korea December 17, 2021 Bangladesh Vs Korea Japan Vs Malaysia Pakistan Vs India December 18, 2021 Japan Vs Bangladesh Malaysia Vs India Pakistan Vs Korea December 19, 2021 India Vs Japan Malaysia Vs Korea Pakistan Vs Bangladesh

Bhubaneswar (SB Report):-South Africa will face Korea in the play-off for the 9th – 10th positions after victories against Pakistan and Poland respectively, who will now contest the 11th – 12th classification match. Canada and Chile will face each other in the 13th – 14th classification game, with USA and Egypt – respective losers against Canada and Chile – will play in the 15th – 16th play-off. The matches will all take place on Saturday 4th December.  13th – 16th Place: Canada 4-0 USA Canada proved too strong for North American neighbours USA in their 13th –16th play-off match, scoring four times without reply to seal their place in the play-off match for 13th position at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021. Canada’s penalty corner routines proved to be the difference between the two sides, with team captain Christopher Tardif, Alexander Bird and Flynn McCulloch all registering PCs before Bird claimed his second of the game from a penalty stoke eight minutes from full time. “Happy with our performance today”, said Canada’s Alexander Bird, the Player of the Match. “We had a really good fourth quarter against South Africa and we just built on that. We really gave our heart today.” USA’s Jatin Sharma said: “We played really well in the first quarter but the rest of the match, we did a couple of mistakes, had a few penalty corners against us. We didn’t stick to our game plan and that’s what made the difference.” 13th – 16th Place: Chile 1-0 Egypt Canada’s opponents in the 13th – 14th classification match on Saturday will be Chile, who battled to a narrow 1-0 win over Egypt in the second game of the day in the Kalinga Stadium. The only goal of the game came a minute into the fourth and final quarter, with Raimundo Valenzuela flicking high into the Egyptian goal from close-range, capitalising on a miss-hit strike from a Chilean team-mate. Egypt hit the post in the latter stages, but it was the Pan Americans who held on for the win to secure their place in the 13-14 play-off game. “It feels good to finally win”, said a relieved Daniel Beroggi – who was named Player of the Match – after the contest. “It was a tough game but today I think we were convinced and determined to win and finally it worked out. It’s been frustrating so far honestly. I think we’ve been playing good. It’s a tough tournament of course.” Khaled Elgandy of Egypt, who will now compete in Saturday’s 15th – 16th classification match against USA, said: “We’re not happy with this result. We wish we would have won today. We were determined to get a first win in this World Cup. We tried a lot, but unfortunately, we didn’t manage to win. But we still have one match and we will keep on fighting. We are improving ourselves match after match.” 9th – 12th Place: South Africa 3-3 Pakistan (4-1 on Shoot-Outs) South Africa are guaranteed to at least match their best finish at a Men’s Junior World Cup after getting the better of Pakistan in the shoot-out following a thrilling 3-3 draw in the third match of the day. Their previous best came at the 2016 competition in Lucknow, but victory in their final match on Saturday would set a new marker for South Africa’s junior team on the global stage. Pakistan opened up a 2-0 lead through Moin Shakeel and Abdul Shahid before Senzwesihle Ngubane pulled a goal back just after half time. Abdul Rehman restored a two-goal lead for the Green Shirts, but South Africa rallied with two goals in just over one minute as captain Guy Morgan rattled home a penalty corner before Idrees Abdulla finished off a glorious team move. Abdulla’s strike took the match to a shoot-out that was dominated by the Africans, who scored all four of their attempts with Moin Shakeel and Abdul Rana both unable to find a way past shot-stopper Taine Bird.  “Shoot-outs are things that we’ve been working on”, said South Africa’s Player of the Match Senzwesihle Ngubane, who netted both in regular time and in the one-on-ones. “We trust our process. It’s all about executing and scoring. Playing as a team is the most important thing. It was a good game of hockey. Credit to Pakistan for giving us a good run.” Pakistan captain Abdul Rana said: “We were in the lead at half-time and then I think we got a little overexcited. The same opportunities we had in the first half we did not manage to convert them in the second half. South Africa played really well and deserved to win. We need to work on our scoring abilities.” 9th – 12th Place: Poland 2-3 Korea Two goals from Player of the Match Kim Hyunwoo helped Korea fight back from 2-1 down to claim a 3-2 victory against Poland, a result which sets up a meeting with South Africa in the 9th – 10th classification game. A brilliant penalty corner deflection from Hong Jinyoung gave Korea an early lead before Poland’s Wojciech Rutkowski scored twice to put his team ahead. However, field goals either side of half time from Kim Hyunwoo – the first being a superb backhand strike from the top of the circle – proved to be enough for a Korea victory, forcing Poland into an 11th – 12th play-off match against Pakistan. “It was a very hard match”, said Kim Hyunwoo. “We won and I’m happy. Our team played a very good defence today. We want to win against South Africa and take 9th place. It will be a hard match.” Poland’s Robert Pawlak said: “It was a really tough match. Our opponent did really well today, they were better. It was just not our day. Pakistan is a really good opponent to play (in the 11th – 12th match). It will be a pleasure for us to play them.”

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-It was another pulsating day of action at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 as Germany, Argentina, France and host nation India all secured their places in the competition semi-finals by winning their encounters in the last eight.  Germany’s shoot-out victory over Spain in the first match of the day earned them a semi-final clash against home favourites India, who narrowly defeated Belgium in today’s final match. Argentina’s superb 2-1 victory over the much-fancied Netherlands sets up a semi-final clash with the impressive France, who were comfortable winners against Malaysia. The timings for those semi-finals, which take place on Friday 3 December, are as follows.  Germany 2-2 Spain (3-1 After Shoot-Out) Six times Junior World Cup champions Germany rescued victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring a dramatic late equaliser against Spain before edging the first quarter-final in the shoot-out. Germany opened the scoring in the fifth minute thanks to Christopher Kutter’s penalty stroke, with Spain’s Gerard Clapes restoring parity six minutes later with a penalty corner. Chances for Germany came and went before Spain’s Eduard de Ignacio-Simo netted a magnificent solo goal with just over one minute remaining. Just when it seemed that Germany’s competition was going to come to an end, Masi Phandt rattled home a penalty corner before Valentin Altenburg’s team triumphed 3-1 in the shoot-out to break Spanish hearts.  “It was really amazing”, said Germany goalkeeper Jean Danneburg, who came off the bench to produce a game winning performance in the shoot-out, earning him the Player of the Match award. “The feeling to catch the balls was so awesome. I’m so happy and proud of my team, that they scored the penalties. For the shoot-outs, I was very nervous this time. But I kept my focus on the important things. It’s a lot of fun with this team!” Spain’s Alvaro Portugal expressed his disappointment. “I felt the team played better than Germany at times. We’ll now look at what did not go well in this match.” Netherlands 1-2 Argentina The second match of the day was also packed full of drama, with Argentina claiming a stunning late victory over a Netherlands team that many considered to be amongst the frontrunners for the title. The two teams traded goals within a minute of each other in the second quarter, with Joaquin Kruger touching home a crash-ball for Argentina before 17-year-old Dutchman Miles Bukkens netted his 12th goal of the competition with an expertly converted penalty corner. The Dutch looked the more likely scorers in the final stages, but it was Argentina who emerged triumphant when Franco Agostini’s cross from the left took a huge deflection from a Netherlands stick and flew into the goal. The Europeans rallied hard, but Argentina’s outstanding defensive line held firm to keep alive their hopes of adding a second Junior World Cup title to the one claimed in 2005. “It was a very hard match and we’re very happy with this win”, said Argentina’s Tadeo Marcucci, who was named Player of the Match. “I also would like to congratulate the Netherlands, who are a great team. Now, we have to focus on the next match and analyse our opponent in the semi-final. We have confidence in ourselves, with the staff examining all our games.” Netherlands captain Silas Lageman said: “We’re very disappointed. I don’t know what happened. We got a few cards so that obviously made the game more difficult. We were pushing for the lead, then a high ball came through and I don’t really know what happened. But it went in with a minute and a half to go when we were heading for shoot-outs.”  France 4-0 Malaysia  France captain Timothée Clément scored a hat-trick of penalty corners to help his team claim a comfortable 4-0 triumph over Malaysia and secure a place in the competition semi-finals for only the second time in their history. Clément netted superb drag-flicks in the 14th and 24th minute respectively to open a 2-0 lead for the Europeans, before Timothée’s younger brother Mathis Clément scored a spectacular volley from another penalty corner situation shortly after half time. France – the beaten finalists in the New Delhi 2013 Junior World Cup – added gloss on a dominant performance when the elder Clement completed his treble in the final minute of the match with another penalty corner. “It feels amazing, being in the semi-finals of the World Cup is simply fantastic”, said Player of the Match Timothée Clément after the game, before looking ahead to his team’s upcoming semi-final opponents. “Argentina is a very good team so now we will focus on this match. We will analyse this team to see how they play.” On competing in Bhubaneswar alongside sibling Mathis, Timothée said: “Playing a World Cup with my brother is amazing; he had a very good game today.” Malaysia captain Akhimullah Anuar said: “The match was good. But with the pandemic we had a very short preparation time. So, we’ve done our best. Today, penalty corners worked very well for France and that’s the result. Belgium 0-1 India Reigning champions and hosts India produced a magnificent defensive display to defeat Belgium by a solitary goal in a replay of the competition final from Lucknow 2016. Belgium had more shots, circle penetrations, possession, and penalty corners, but it was India who emerged winners thanks to a 21st minute penalty corner effort from Sharda Nand Tiwari, who flicked high into the goal from the left of the circle. Belgium piled on the pressure in the final stages and boosted by a yellow card five-minute suspension for India’s Yashdeep Siwach, certainly looked capable of tying the match and forcing a shoot-out. A late penalty corner arrived moments after Belgium replaced their goalkeeper with an outfield player, but India goalkeeper Pawan produced two vital saves to send his team into the competition semi-finals at the expense of their opponents.  “With the plan we had, we tried to execute that but still a few things couldn’t happen”, said India’s Vishnukant Singh, who was named Player of the Match. “It was a really tough match. We cannot underestimate our opponents. Our plan was to win and it is important that we enjoy that.” Belgium captain Dylan Englebert said: “We played a great game. I think it was beautiful to watch, great actions and we did our best. With a bit more luck we might have scored and gone to shoot-outs. Of course, we are disappointed, but I’m proud of my team and proud of what we did. I think we gave everything, and that is what we are happy [about].”  Results (Day-7): Germany 1-1 Spain (3-1 After Shoot-Out) Player of the Match: Jean Danneberg (GK – GER) Netherlands 1-2 Argentina Player of the Match: Tadeo Marcucci (ARG) France 4-0 Malaysia  Player of the Match: Timothée Clement (C – FRA) Belgium 0-1 India Player of the Match: Vishnukant Singh (IND) Semi-final Day Match Schedule – Friday 1 December 2021 (All times India Standard Time – UTC +05.30) 5-8th classification 10:30: Belgium v Spain 13:30: Malaysia v Netherlands Semi-finals 16:30: France v Argentina 19:30: India v Germany

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The classification round to decide 9-16 position at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 produced four very different matches on Day Six. A closely-contested match saw South Africa overcome a determined Canadian resistance before Pakistan bounced back to overwhelm USA. Chile were undone in the final minute by Poland before Korea and Egypt recorded a thrilling 3-3 draw which led to the sheer agony and ecstasy of a shoot-out that saw Korea break Egyptian hearts. South Africa 7-3 Canada It was a cagey first quarter of this match between two teams who were both looking for a first win of the tournament. For the first 15 minutes, Canada and South Africa defended solidly and there was little opportunity for either side to break the deadlock. The breakthrough came in the 16th minute when Player of the Match Cameron le Forestier scored the first of a hat-trick of goals. All three of his strikes came courtesy of some swift build-up play by the African team, and the striker was on hand to send the ball past Zackary Coombs in the Canada goal. Following that opening goal it was still an even match with Canada working hard to get back on terms but a second goal from Idrees Abdulla in the 26th minute and then a penalty stroke scored by captain Guy Morgan effectively ended Canada’s hopes of a first win. They did score three goals in a flurry of activity in the final quarter but by then South Africa had scored four more goals, including a second for Morgan, and for Indy Sehmbi’s team it was just too late. While pleased to have recorded a win in Bhubaneswar, Cameron le Forestier said his team were still seeking consistency in their performance: “We’re still trying to chase that 60 minutes of good hockey. But today I think we just had about 30 minutes. So, till the next game we have to focus on that. “Regarding my own performance, I think it’s just finding yourself in the right areas and then, when the ball comes to you, just take that opportunity. Our next objective is to make that 9th place finish.” Canada’s captain Manveer Jhamat said: “I’m really proud of the boys. We were resilient and able to bounce back, so I am proud of our efforts at the end. We are a much better team now than when we came here. There has been a lot of learning and growing as a team. Definitely we’re playing some of the best teams in the world, so it’s bound to making us better.” The result means South Africa will face Pakistan in the next match as they contest 9-12 place. Canada will play continental neighbours USA as they seek a first win of the tournament. Pakistan 18-2 USA There was a chasm of difference between the performances by the Pakistan team and the USA team as the Asian side set out to pick apart their opponents with a clinical precision. As the Asian side smoothly moved into top gear, the USA athletes gave the attackers far too much room and seemed unable to find a structure of their own for much of the game. That said, USA never stopped trying to find their own groove and Finlay Quaile was able to make the most of two penalty corner opportunities. This was small compensation for the fact that most of the match saw Pakistan dominating play. The match started evenly, with the USA creating their own chances but when Abuzar scored in the 14th minute, the Pakistan team seemed to reach for a new level of speed, pace and ingenuity. Six goals in the second half put the game beyond doubt but still the Pakistan team poured forwards, exploring every attacking avenue. Captain Abdul Rana scored four goals and the Player of the Match award and he was joined on the score sheet by 11 of his teammates. Pakistan Head Coach Danish Kaleem had been looking for answers after the team failed to deliver in the pool matches and, in this game, his players found the answers. Pakistan captain and scorer of four goals Abdul Rana said: “We’ve tried to correct all mistakes we did in the previous matches. The main aim was to do less mistakes and play basic hockey. The next couple of games are really important to clinch the ninth position. Today was a good game to boost our confidence.” Jatin Sharma of USA highlighted the need for his team to find consistency. “In the first quarter we played pretty well. But we have to find a way to keep consistent throughout all quarters. We all get tired but we have to keep working for each other. I think defensively we need to get better focused.” Poland 2-1 Chile Chile’s hearts were broken by a last minute goal by Tomasz Bembenek as the forward scored the winner for Poland in the final minute of play. Daniel Beroggi had given Chile the lead in the first quarter through a well-placed penalty corner before Julian Blaskiewicz brought Poland level. From that moment the game was played at a ferocious pace as both teams sensed a win was within their grasp. However, it was the calm precision of Bembenek that proved the difference and sees Poland moving on to contest 9-12 place in the next match. The result means Poland will now play Korea in the battle for a ninth place finish, while Chile will take on Egypt. “Chile played a really, really good match,” said Player of the Match Tomasz Bembenek. “They had a very good defence. So they created problems for our offensive play. But we managed to score in the last minute and I’m very happy about that. I think we have to score more goals.” His counterpart Nicolás Abujatum said: “The feeling which dominates now is frustration. We were playing a very good match. We made some mistakes and then we started to lose our heads and that’s what drove us to lose this match. We’ve been improving a lot since the beginning of the tournament but we keep on doing some mistakes that make us lose the matches. So, that’s not a good performance. We don’t get anything from playing good but losing matches.” Korea 3-3 Egypt (6-5 shoot out) Egypt’s goalkeeper Mahmoud Seleem can take comfort from the fact that he has enjoyed an outstanding tournament even if his team has yet to record a win. While Egypt has conceded 31 goals so far, with three fired in by Korea today, Seleem has made some remarkable saves, including a save from a penalty strike during this match. The teams were evenly matched in the opening quarter but Korea began to gain momentum as the game developed. Clever use of the aerial to put the Egyptian defence under pressure saw the African team gradually retreat into their own half and it was only a matter of time before Korea were able to take advantage and fire home two quick chances in the 18th and 20th minute, courtesy of Kim Hyunwoo and Jeong Jun Seong. If the first half was all about Seleem keeping the Korea attack from extending their lead, the second half was all about the Egyptian comeback. Two goals for Abdeirahman Elganayni and one for Hossameldin Ragab and a penalty stroke save by Seleem meant that Egypt were suddenly not just back on even terms but had moved into a 3-2 lead. This was not the end of the drama however; with just two minutes left, Korea were awarded a second penalty stroke, which Jeong Jun Seong converted to send the game to shoot-out. The drama was certainly not restricted to the game itself. The shoot-out was a sheer spectacle of hockey entertainment in itself. Great saves, cheeky overhead shots and a prolonged sudden death shoot-out of nine rounds apiece kept everyone on the edge of their seats until You Seung Ho broke Egyptian hearts as he fired past Seleem to claim the win for Korea. Korea’s Player of the Match Bae Soung Min said: “The first half we got the two goals but in the second half we didn’t play so well. Egypt were strong but we really wanted to win, so we are very happy with this outcome. Egypt’s Khaled Elgandy was able to take positives from the match: “If you look at all the matches, there is a trajectory and we are getting better every match. Maybe we lose today, but we played well and we will always play as much as we can until the final whistle of the final match and we will win the next match.” Results (Day-6): South Africa 7-3 Canada Player of the Match: Cameron le Forestier (RSA) Pakistan 18-2 USA Player of the Match: Abdul Rana (PAK) Poland 2-1 Chile Player of the Match: Thomasz Bembenek (POL) Korea 3-3 Egypt (Korea win 6-5 shoot-out) Player of the Match: Bae Soung Min (KOR)