Junior Hockey World Cup 2025: Spain books spot in final with win over Argentina
Spain became the first team to book its spot in the final of the FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2025 with a narrow 2-1 victory over Argentina on Sunday at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.
Spain started with early possession, forcing Argentina into a defensive shape that suited the skilful Spanish players. Spain’s front three consistently interchanged positions with the midfield, effectively confusing the Argentine defence.
The Spanish side took the lead in the seventh minute. A neat turn by Pere Amat near the 23-meter line created space, allowing him to feed Nicolas Mutaros inside the D, which resulted in the first Penalty Corner (PC) of the match. Mario Mena converted the chance, scoring from a rebound after the Argentine goalkeeper saved the initial drag-flick from Bruno Aliva.
The opening goal lifted the veil of caution from both teams, and the nearly full-capacity stadium cheered every tackle, pass, save, and action. Immediately from the restart, the South Americans ventured forward and earned their first PC, rattling the upright from the resulting short corner routine.
The Little Lions finally found the equaliser in the 20th minute when Juan Fernandez cleverly deflected skipper Tomas Ruiz’s goalbound drag-flick over the diving Spanish custodian. After a relatively slow start, Argentina finally showed its attacking threat in the second quarter.
Both teams began the second half with caution, leading to a largely uneventful third quarter. However, the final 15 minutes blossomed with drama.
With just over four minutes remaining, Spanish defender Avila regained possession near the midline and fired a hopeful shot. The ball fortuitously took a faint touch off Albert Serrahima’s stick before nestling into the Argentine goal. Despite furious Argentine protests, the goal stood after a lengthy Video Referral.
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In a desperate search for an equaliser, Argentina’s coach, Juan Gilardi, withdrew the goalkeeper for an extra outfield player. In the dying seconds, the man advantage seemed to pay off as Argentina was awarded a PC. Yet again, however, a Video Referral went against the Latin American side, confirming the final score and booking Spain’s ticket to the grand finale.
Belgium sets up fifth-place match against the Netherlands
In earlier matches of the day, Belgium defeated France 3-2 to set up a fifth-place clash against the Netherlands, which thrashed New Zealand 6-3.
Meanwhile, the French team will play in the seventh/eighth-place classification encounter vs the Future Black Sticks.
Published on Dec 07, 2025