KUALA LUMPUR ā Spain and France have emerged as the biggest surprise packages at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup, exhibiting their attacking gameplay that has torn their opponents apart at the ongoing tournament.
Both teams, with an average squad age of just 18, have collectively scored 36 goals and are set to clash in the semi-finals at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium today for a spot in the final.
France and Spain are looking to win their first Junior World Cup since its inception in 1979.
Spain has the highest number of experienced players (five) who play in the senior team, as they will be focusing on maintaining their composure against their world number nine French opponents.
At the same time, France holds the record for scoring the earliest in the tournament, with an average of three minutes per game.
However, Spain is no stranger to handling a comeback, as they recently staged one to defeat Asian powerhouse Pakistan 4-2 in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Head coach Oriol Puig Torras is confident in his team’s strong winning mentality, asserting that they can take on any opponent with their fast-paced style of hockey.
āFrance has a strong history of playing great hockey, and they showed it here in the World Cup. There is no doubt we will come under a lot of pressure from the first buzzer.
“It is always good to play against top teams, and France has all those characteristics. They are similar to us, and my players are all excited to face them.
āWe must take our chances early and build a lead. If we are chasing the score, it puts us under a lot of pressure. This situation happened against Pakistan, but I am very happy with my players as they worked hard to get into the semi-finals, and with our style of play, we can take them down,” said Torras.
It is understood that Les Bleus are using this tournament to give exposure to some of their young talents who would be included in the senior team for next year’s Paris Olympics.
With senior players such as Mathis ClƩment, NoƩ Jouin, Gaspard Xavier, and Brieuc Delemazure, who represented the senior team at the EuroHockey Championship this year, it helped the junior team secure their spot in the semis by defeating Australia 3-2 in the quarter-finals.
Head coach Matthias Dierckens believes they are capable of thwarting the Spaniards and advancing to the final.
“I believe we are a strong team, and all we need to do is devise a plan to bring down Spain. We have always instilled a winning mentality. Spain is a good team, but itās not that they cannot be beaten.
āThere is no doubt they have a game plan against us. I think in the first quarter, we need to score as many goals as possible, like we always do,ā said Dierckens.
France’s best finish in the World Cup was in the 2013 edition in Lucknow, where they finished second, while Spain’s best finish was third in the 2005 edition in Rotterdam.
Spain has faced France three times in the Junior World Cup, with Spain winning once and France winning twice. ā December 14, 2023