KUALA LUMPUR – Nicolas Alvarez shone as Spain beat India 3-1 to finish third at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup.
The 20-year-old attacker, hailing from Santander, amazed 1,500 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium today with his solo sprint from the middle of the pitch to score a screamer past the Indian defence.
Head coach Oriol Puig Torras said that Nicolas’ goal was the best he had ever seen in his career.
The 34-year-old also said that winning a bronze medal in the World Cup was the proudest moment in his coaching career.
“I have never seen a goal like that, and Nicolas was on form today, which incredibly helped us triumph against our opponents, who are good in defensive gameplay.
“Nicolas’s goal should be on the list of the best goals in this year’s tournament. Aside from him, my players also had a great game, and it was a great run for us in this tournament.
“As a coach, I’m proud of my boys as we finally had a podium finish in the Junior World Cup after 18 years. This is a wonderful feeling not only for me and my players but for our whole nation, as our fans love hockey so much.
“I hope my boys continue this momentum and win next year’s EuroHockey U21 Championships in Terrassa, Spain, and also become the champions of the next edition of the World Cup in two years,” said Torras in today’s post-match conference.
In contrast, India’s head coach C.R. Kumar expressed disappointment with his team’s second consecutive defeat against the Red Sticks in this tournament.
“It was a well-contested match in the first 30 minutes, but I felt we were dominating the match in the third and fourth quarters.
“We could have easily won this match, but our energy dropped after our opponents scored their two goals, and we couldn’t cope with our opponent’s skillful gameplay.
“As a whole, it was a good experience for my players in this tournament, and I’m proud to say that we are still the best Asian team in this tournament.
“We will go back to India with our chins up and continue producing more young talents for the next World Cup,” said Kumar.
Nicolas, who won the Man of the Match award, scored a brace for Spain in the 25th and 51st minutes, while midfielder Pau Petchame scored in the 40th minute.
India’s sole goal was scored by Sunil Jojo in the 28th minute.
This is Spain’s second podium finish in the Junior World Cup after they won bronze in the 2005 edition in Rotterdam. – December 16, 2023