KUALA LUMPUR – Germany came back from a goal down to defeat France 2-1, claiming their seventh Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.
Germany have now secured their fourth title on Malaysian soil after successes in Kuala Lumpur (1982), Ipoh (1989) and Johor Bahru (2009).
The junior Honamas’ other titles were won in Vancouver (1985), Terrassa (1993) and New Delhi (2013).
The all-European final saw a total of four green cards and two yellows shown to both sides.
Attacker Liam Holdermann, 20, who scored a total of four goals in the tournament, became the saviour for the Germans in the third quarter with his calm finish past French goalkeeper Marius Clement.
Praising his team’s resilience against a highly competitive opponent in the final, Germany head coach Rein van Eijk expressed gratitude to his players for putting on a strong performance and completing the mission they targeted before the tournament.
Despite a shaky start in the first two quarters, Van Eijk’s strategic half-time adjustments, focusing on meticulous man-marking and defensive gameplay, turned the tide in Germany’s favour.
“It’s an unbelievable moment for us. I would like to compliment the team for defending the way we did, and it was a great feeling to make a comeback and score the goal.
“We came back from the dressing room much sharper and stronger, and we controlled the game much better with better risk.
“France was one of the best teams that we have seen in the tournament, and I’m really happy with my boys for their stellar performance,” said Van Eijk in the post-match press conference.
For the record, France defeated Germany 2-0 in Group D, but they could not repeat their performance in the final.
Les Bleus, with senior players such as Mathis Clément, Noé Jouin, Gaspard Xavier, and Brieuc Delemazure, all of whom represented the senior team at the EuroHockey Championship this year, had higher possession (55%) in last night’s final but still could not penetrate the German defence in the last two quarters.
France head coach Matthias Dierckens was dejected with the defeat but still commended his players for putting up a good fight in the final.
“I don’t think we let the game go away from us; it’s just that Germany played better in the last two quarters of the game, and we got a bit tired.
“We had our opportunities with our penalty corners, but we just did not make use of it, and they scored their second goal and won the match, which was a lucky goal for them in my opinion.
“We are not like other teams who are pleased with at least getting a silver. We wanted to become the champions, and we couldn’t do it, and my players are sad. Anyways, my boys had a great run in this tournament, and I’m proud of them,” said Dierckens.
France took the lead when Jules Verrier scored a field goal in the 17th minute, but the Germans refused to cave in and replied with two field goals from Jan Cordes (32nd minute) and Liam, who sealed the match in the 40th minute.
A total of 1,500 fans armed with vuvuzelas attended the final.
France’s skipper Gaspard won the tournament’s Rising Star award, Belgium’s Hugo Labouchere was top scorer with nine goals, while Germany custodian Joshua Onyekwue was named Best Goalkeeper.
A total of 270 goals were scored in the 13th edition of the tournament, with an average of 5.63 goals per match. – December 17, 2023