FIH Men’s Junior World Cup 2025: Chennai leg finally witnesses thrilling encounters as France, Japan post solid victories
After two days of mostly one-sided affairs in the Chennai leg of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025, Sunday delivered four thrillers at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.
The day’s finale, a Pool F clash, saw France secure a commanding 8-3 victory over Australia, despite a spirited performance from the Burras and the challenge of persistent rain and gusting winds. While the final score suggests a blowout, the contest was tightly fought until the final quarter, where France unleashed a torrent of five field goals to pull away.
Billed as a highly anticipated rematch of the last edition’s quarterfinals—where France famously eliminated Australia—the game lived up to its billing.
Just as it did in that quarterfinal, France seized the early initiative. Victor Saint-Martin converted a Penalty Corner (PC) in the 8th minute with a precise drag-flick that nestled into the bottom right corner. However, Australia responded quickly and brilliantly. Three minutes later, Matthew Hawthorne controlled an inch-perfect aerial pass, danced past two defenders with dazzling stickwork, and unleashed a fierce tomahawk from the edge of the D to level the score.
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The Burras then took the lead through a Patrick Andrews field goal and extended it when Ian Grobbelaar continued his scoring streak with a beautifully executed PC routine. Yet, France stayed in the fight, with James Liddiard finding the back of the net just before half-time to narrow the gap and bring the score to 3-2.
The tide turned definitively after the break as the French midfield asserted complete control. Tom Gaillard found the equaliser just 126 seconds into the restart. Mirroring their 11-1 thrashing of South Korea in the first match, the French forwards expertly dragged the Australian defenders deep, creating space for their skillful midfielders to exploit the attacking channels.
The game-changing moment came early in the final quarter when Gabriel Piole finished off a sweeping team move, handing France the lead. Piole then capped the goal with a moment of flair, celebrating in Thierry Henry-esque fashion by posing with the corner flag alongside his teammates.
With seven minutes left, Hugo Dolou made it 5-3, prompting a daring move from Australia coach Jay Stacy to withdraw the goalie. The high-risk tactic backfired immediately, as Malo Martinache and then Gaillard—who completed his hat-trick with two additional goals—ruthlessly capitalised on the open net, ballooning the final score to 8-3 in favour of the French side.
As a result of this emphatic win, France has put one foot firmly into the quarterfinals.
New Zealand holds Argentina to a draw
New Zealand delivered a major surprise in Pool C, holding third-ranked Argentina to a tense 3-3 draw.
The monumental result was powered by Jonty Elmes, who claimed his second successive hat-trick and Player of the Match award, rocketing him to the top of the tournament’s goalscoring charts alongside India’s Dilraj Singh.
Jonty Elmes (centre) of New Zealand was the star of the show as he scored a hat-trick to help hold superpower Argentina to a draw.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU
Jonty Elmes (centre) of New Zealand was the star of the show as he scored a hat-trick to help hold superpower Argentina to a draw.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU
Despite coming off a 5-3 win against China, New Zealand initially appeared sluggish. Argentina capitalised immediately, breaking the deadlock in the first minute with a ferocious drag-flick from Mateo Torrigiani off the opening Penalty Corner.
However, the Future Black Sticks quickly regrouped, applying intense pressure on the Argentine defence. They earned three consecutive PCs, with Elmes converting the third to pull level.
Ultimately, the Latin American side’s other two goals, both scored by Bruno Correa, were matched each time by a defiant New Zealand, which clawed back on three occasions to secure a crucial point for its knockout ambitions.
Japan knocks China out
Japan secured a vital 3-2 victory over rival China in the opening Pool C encounter, officially eliminating the latter from the tournament. The match was an end-to-end contest. China struck first with a clever PC variation by Dongjun Wang.
However, Japan dominated the second quarter, quickly equalising and taking the lead through Penalty Corner drag-flicks from Shu Ono and Shun Hara. Japan extended its lead with a field goal from Kazuki Terasaka. Despite a late Chinese Penalty Stroke, Japan held firm for the win, keeping its knockout hopes alive.
In Pool C, both Argentina and New Zealand have four points, while Japan has three ahead of the final match.
Bangladesh battles back for thrilling draw against South Korea
Bangladesh managed a dramatic come-from-behind 3-3 draw in its encounter against South Korea in the other Pool F match.
The match was a compelling tale of two distinct halves. Korea completely dominated its Asian counterparts in the opening period, making the most of a seemingly fatigued Bangladeshi side—the same team that had pushed Australia to the limit a day ago. Minhyeok Lee netted twice, and Seunghan Son added a third, giving the Koreans a commanding lead going into the break.
However, Bangladesh demonstrated immense fightback in the second half. A true standout of its debut campaign, Amirul Islam once again proved to be the shining star, completing a second successive hat-trick with a trio of powerful drag-flicks to level the score and ensure the cycle of excitement continued.
Published on Nov 30, 2025
