The German machine is in full gear — primed not just for the race, but for the battle ahead. India, too, stands fully prepared, ready to confront the European behemoth head-on.
When these Asian and European powerhouses clash in the semifinals of the FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup at the SDAT-Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Sunday, sparks are bound to fly. With both teams in fine form, anticipation is high as fans await the tactical punches and counterpunches each side will unveil.
Both teams endured tense moments in the quarterfinals — Germany against France and India against Belgium — and required penalty shootouts to advance. Goalkeepers Jasper Ditzler and Princedeep Singh proved decisive, rescuing their teams in the death.
India’s forwards, however, were not as clinical as expected, despite midfielder Manmeet Singh’s tireless workrate and incisive passing.
As P.R. Sreejesh, India’s head coach, summarised, there is bound to be high pressure in knockout matches. “The young players need to understand and deal with it. Whichever team it is, we must score from the limited opportunities we get. We need to be sharper (in attack and defence) and raise our game against better teams,” he said.
Defending champion Germany, meanwhile, struggled inside the circle against France and paid for its lapses. Head coach Mirko Stenzel said the side had dissected its mistakes and would use the rest day to fine-tune its approach. “For most of our players, this will be the biggest game they have ever played. We need to analyse carefully, be cleaner and sharper in the final third — and correct the tactical and defensive mistakes we made against France,” he told the The Hindu.
Sunday’s showdown promises to be electric. India will need to be tactically superior to script an upset. Germany, needless to say, starts as the favourite.
Spain will take on Argentina in the other last-four clash.