KUALA LUMPUR – Argentina fell victim to Germany’s defending prowess as they were defeated 2-1 in the quarterfinals today in a match full of drama in the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The fiery clash between South American and European giants saw a total of five green cards and two yellow cards shown to both sides.
Argentina head coach Juan Ignacio Gilard believes the umpires’ decisions and his players’ overconfidence led to his team’s downfall against the Germans.
“We started the game well, but our team’s mentality was not stable throughout the match as we were overly confident in overcoming our opponents.
“The referee was also not on our side, as the opponents were awarded several penalty corners that I believe were not supposed to be given.
“But our overconfidence in the match was the main reason why we ended up conceding two simple field goals.
“These are the elements that we need to work on if we hope to finish well and secure at least a fifth-place finish in this tournament,” said Gilard in today’s post-match conference.
The coach, a former defender and a gold medalist with Argentina in the 2016 Rio Olympics, also expressed his frustration towards the German players for provoking his side when they were 2-0 down.
The provocations then turned into a small tussle after the final whistle when both sides engaged in a non-violent argument, which also saw the umpires entering the turf to reduce tensions.
“I’m not impressed with the way the Germans were provoking our players in the middle of the game. This is a professional sport, and things like this shouldn’t be happening.
“But I’m happy that our players stayed calm and showed them what good sportsmanship is all about,” Gilard added.
Meanwhile, Germany’s head coach, Rein van Eijk, commended his team’s performance and hopes to maintain their momentum in the semifinals.
“It was a great performance from my side, especially from my senior players, as they fought hard to break through Argentina’s strong defence.
“On top of that, we are also happy that we became the first team in this tournament to score against Argentina. We would have scored more if a few of our players were not injured.
“Provocations are a part of the game, but I apologise if the Argentinians may have gotten agitated with my players’ attitude.
“We would not like to focus a lot on that incident and are hoping to maintain our fine form in our next matches in the tournament,” said Van Eijk.
Germany’s goals were scored by Hugo Montgelas (32nd), Jakob Brilla (39th) while Argentina scored through Agustin Bonanno in the 48th minute.
Germany is expected to take on the winner between the Netherlands and India in another quarterfinal match today.
Germany has won the Junior World Cup on six occasions: 1982, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2009, and 2013. – December 12, 2023