KUALA LUMPUR – Argentina and Germany are the heavyweights in the world of field hockey, as both nations have won a total of eight Junior World Cup trophies combined since the inception of the tournament in 1979.
The South American and European giants currently share a common goal of adding the 2023 FIH Men’s Junior World Cup to their illustrious collection.
However, only one will achieve their ultimate goal as both teams will be clashing against each other in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
The Los Leones, who previously had issues with their hockey sticks, have been on a rampage ever since the beginning of the tournament.
They remain the only team that has yet to concede a single goal and qualified for the quarter-finals with the maximum number of points and 13 goals scored.
Head coach Juan Ignacio Gilard believes his team is on the right track to defend their title and hopes his players are not intimidated by their European opponents.
“We know how bad our situation was before the tournament, and we made sure that it didn’t affect our plans for progressing in this tournament.
“Playing Germany is not going to be easy, as we have had the experience of playing against them in the past, and it was always tough going against them.
“Both our sides have really fast and physical players who can play an entertaining match, and we both are pretty similar with our gameplay. The difference between us is that we play direct, and they have a counterattacking style of play.
“I think it’s going to be an exciting game for the fans, and I have told my players that we should forget about our victories in the group matches and make sure we give our 100% in the quarters,” said Gilard.
Meanwhile, Germany, one of the highest-scoring teams in the tournament with 13 goals, are set to solidify their position in the semi-finals.
Head coach Rein van Eijk believes that with the help of experienced players in his team, it will be an advantage for them against the world’s number one side in the last eight.
“The Argentinians are currently in good form, and we admire and respect them for their high standard of hockey. However, we are not inferior to them, as we also have players like Matteo Poljaric and Michel Struthoff who have experience playing on the senior team.
“I believe that we can end their fine run and go on to win the title for our fans who have been supporting us back home,” said van Eijk.
Germany brags about winning the World Cup title on six occasions – 1982, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2009, and 2013 – while Argentina bagged their first title in 2005 after defeating Australia and the second trophy in 2021 after beating Germany. – December 11, 2023