Indian men’s junior hockey team will look to end their Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2023 on high as they set to take on Spain for the Bronze Medal on Saturday, December 16.
India's hopes of winning the Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup were shattered after they lost to Germany 1-4 in the semifinal on Thursday. Sudeep Chirmako equalized for India 1-1, but Germany bounced back with three more goals.
India have had a great campaign in the ongoing edition Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup as they topped Pool C with wins against Korea and Canada and a defeat against Spain in three matches. In the quarterfinal, India defeated Netherlands 4-3, with captain Uttam Singh scoring a penalty corner to book their place in the semifinal against Germany.
India to give it all against Spain
Indian Men’s Junior Hockey Team captain Uttam Singh admitted that it was disappointing to lose to Germany in the semifinal, but the boys are determined to give it all and win the bronze medal against Spain.
“It is disappointing that we aren’t in the final but we have to put the loss behind us. We have one last match to give our all and we’re going to focus on trying to win that game." he said.
Meanwhile, CR Kumar stated that finishing third in the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup will give the boys a lot of respect. “We really would’ve loved to have been playing the final but now we just have to focus on what lies ahead of us. Finishing third in a World Cup also commands a lot of respect so we’ll play the best hockey we can."
India vs Spain Head to Head
India and Spain have played against each other eight times in the history of the Men's Hockey Junior World Cup. Their latest face-off was in the group stage of the ongoing edition of the tournament, where India 1-4 lost to Spain.
The upcoming Bronze medal match will be the ninth face-off between India and Spain. The Men in Blue will look to set the record against Spain in the third-place playoffs.
