KUALA LUMPUR – Have the Kookaburras finally found their rhythm?
Australia displayed an aggressive and groovy performance, triumphing over Chile with a 7-1 victory in their second Group A match of the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup today at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Head coach Jay Stacy said that today’s victory has given a morale boost for his players to maintain their consistency for the rest of the tournament.
“Our gameplay has improved a lot compared to our previous match against Argentina, and we have taken great advantage of the wet conditions on the Bukit Jalil turf.
“More than the goals we scored, I love the fact that we maintained possession throughout the match, and my players followed my instructions clearly, ultimately leading to our victory.
“Chile were not really experienced, and we didn’t face much pressure when we played against them.
“But I still need to give them credit as they gave us a good contest throughout the match, and we need to respect them for that,” said Stacy in the post-match press conference today.
Stacy also said that his team is well-prepared for potential threats in their third group match against Malaysia on Friday.
“Malaysia is an improving young team, and we have to be at our best when we play against them. We’ve recently watched their gameplay and admire that their coach has been experimenting with various styles.
“To give them a good fight, we need to make some slight improvements, such as our positioning and playing with more urgency.
“We have a rest day tomorrow and need to review our match and Malaysia’s match against Argentina to know how to overcome them,” Stacy added.
Meanwhile, Chile head coach Matias Amoroso said that he hopes to see his team bring back a few valuable lessons from their defeat.
“It was an honour for our players to play against one of the best hockey nations in the world.
“As a coach, I admire Australia’s penalty corners, and their passes were fantastic. This is something my players can watch and learn.
“I have a really young group of players, and I’m happy that they are gaining experience and exposure to high-level hockey at the World Cup,” said Matias Amoroso.
The seven goals for Australia were scored by Cooper Burns (11th), Brodee Foster (17th), Craig Marais (20th, 52nd, 53rd), Cambell Geddes (30th), and Will Mathison (47th).
Joaquín Muñoz scored Chile’s only goal through a penalty corner in the 34th minute.
As for now, Australia sit second in Group A with three points behind Malaysia, who also defeated Chile 7-1 last night. – December 6, 2023