Junior Hockey World Cup 2025: France secures last-eight spot with hard-fought win vs Bangladesh

France secured its place in the FIH Hockey Junior Men’s World Cup 2025 quarterfinals by topping Pool F, following a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Bangladesh on Tuesday at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.

In the other Pool F match, Australia defeated South Korea 3-1. But, despite the win, the Australians were eliminated from the quarterfinal race.

The French found their breakthrough in the seventh minute when Tom Gaillard expertly converted a penalty stroke. However, Bangladesh, despite being winless, refused to back down. Just before a bizarre floodlight malfunction brought the second quarter to a halt with 91 seconds left, Md Abdullah scored the equaliser—Bangladesh’s first field goal of the entire tournament. The lighting issue, opposite the media centre, persisted until the match’s final 12 minutes.

Following a seemingly flat first half, France regrouped and rediscovered its rhythm in the second essay. Gabin Lorrazuri restored its lead early in the third quarter, which also saw another interruption in play due to floodlight troubles. As the drizzle intensified, James Liddiard extended the advantage, making the score 3-1.

Bangladesh continued to impress as Amirul Islam kept his impressive scoring streak alive by burying yet another Penalty Corner (PC), cutting the deficit to a single goal with just over five minutes remaining. Despite immense pressure from Bangladesh, France held firm to claim all three points.

Australia beats South Korea

Australia entered its final pool match against Korea, facing astronomical odds: it needed to secure an improbable 24-0 victory and rely on England scoring no more than eight goals against Malaysia to qualify for the top eight as the second-best pool runner-up, following its devastating 3-8 loss to France.

However, Jay Stacy’s squad quickly found its ambitious target thwarted by a stubborn Korean defence. Employing a hybrid man-to-man and zonal marking system, Korea maintained a robust defensive structure before launching rapid counterattacks.

The first quarter ended goalless. Australia finally broke the deadlock with a solo effort from Duncan Jackson. Yet, its lead was short-lived; within two minutes, Seunghan Son restored parity for Korea with a precise drag-flick.

The Burras pulled ahead again in the third phase, thanks to their star PC specialist, Ian Grobbelaar, just as the heavens opened up. The resulting heavy rain significantly complicated Australia’s signature quick transitions from defence to attack, as the waterlogged pitch slowed the ball’s movement considerably.

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Daykin Stanger sealed the 3-1 victory early in the final phase. While a win, the result fell well short of the miraculous margin required for a top-eight slot.

Australia will now aim to finish the campaign in ninth place. “Such is the reality of a tournament with 24 teams that we can still finish ninth after just losing one match,” said Australia coach Stacy, who is relinquishing his role with the junior team after the tournament.

Chile edges past Oman

Amid incessant rain, which once again forced an additional halt to play, Chile managed to secure third place in Pool B by defeating Oman 2-0 in the first match of the day.

Chile’s Felipe Duisberg opened the scoring in the 10th minute from a PC, navigating a waterlogged turf that severely hampered ground passes. Despite the early setback, Oman, the tournament’s lowest-ranked team (40), delivered a remarkably improved and spirited performance, rebounding from demoralising losses to India and Switzerland. The young Omani squad showcased a tight, structured defensive game that effectively frustrated Chile’s attempts to break through.

Oman’s valiant resistance finally cracked a second time in the 46th minute. Tomas Taborga executed a well-drilled PC routine to ultimately seal the South American side’s first victory of the tournament.

With the final pool match between India and Switzerland in Madurai still to play, Germany, Argentina, Spain, the Netherlands, and France have already secured their places in the quarterfinals by winning their respective pools. New Zealand has also clinched a spot in the final eight.

Meanwhile, Belgium currently boasts the best goal difference (+19) among teams with six points, but its knockout qualification is not yet confirmed.

Published on Dec 02, 2025