FIH Junior World Cup 2025: India beats Switzerland 5-0, sets up quarterfinal against Belgium

India blanked Switzerland 5-0 in the contest between two unbeaten teams of the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup 2025 on Tuesday, securing top spot in Pool B. With nine points after three matches, head coach P.R. Sreejesh’s side also secured passage through to the quarterfinal of the tournament.

Manmeet Singh sent the packed crowd at the Madurai International Hockey Stadium into raptures, opening the scoring within two minutes after a botched clearance from the Swiss defence. Manmeet added a second with a deflection on the half turn, from a pacy Priyobarta Talem ground pass. Sharda Nand Tiwari converted a Penalty Corner (PC) to ensure the Blue Colts went into the second quarter comfortably in the lead.

With willing runners across the baseline, the defence attempted intermittent scooped passes, but the tactic failed to materialise. Arshdeep got onto the scoresheet late in the second period via a reverse hit with his back facing the goal to extend India’s lead.

Arshdeep Singh was the third goalscorer for India on Tuesday, sounding the board with a tomahawk.
| Photo Credit:
G. Moorthy

Switzerland came out after the half-time break with renewed intensity. Goalkeeper Princedeep Singh was called into action, first with a strong kick and then with a full-length dive to push the ball away with his stick. The custodian capped a strong quarter with a stunning penalty stroke save against Yannick Hug.

The final fifteen minutes of play turned out to be a physical affair and with the home side not at its fluent best, the door was open for an improbable comeback. That hope was extinguished when Sharda Nand found the bottom left corner with his second PC goal of the day, sealing a 5-0 win.

Awaiting India in the final eight will be a Belgium side that scraped through as one of the best second-placed teams.

Earlier, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands sealed their passage through to the quarterfinal with dominant wins in their final league-stage encounters. 

Published on Dec 02, 2025