FIH Junior Men’s World Cup: Bangladesh secures Challenger Trophy with 5-4 win over Austria
Bangladesh secured the Challenger Trophy at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup 2025 after a 5-4 win over Austria at the Madurai International Hockey Stadium on Monday.
A hat-trick from tournament top-scorer Amirul Islam, and goals from Hozifa Hossain and Rakibul Hasan helped Bangladesh beat its opponent to 17th in the final rankings.
Amirul, the dragflick expert, was initially called into action in the defensive third, pushing away an early Austria Penalty Corner (PC) on the goal line. His first PC attempt was blocked by Julian Kaiser, the first rusher. He wasn’t kept at bay for too long, though. He found the bottom left corner with his second attempt of the evening, giving Bangladesh the lead.
Bangladesh scored through its third PC as well, this time opting to use Hozifa in the second battery rather than Amirul, a move that hoodwinked the Austrians. The European side has more misery in store after the half-time break. A delayed restart following a hit-out allowed Rakibul to charge towards the static ball and let out a fierce backhander past goalkeeper Lorenz Breitenecker. The referee pointed both hands towards the centre, signalling a goal, much to the dismay of the defenders who were caught out.
Andor Losonci pulled one back for Austria with a smart turn-and-finish after the rebound off the goalkeeper fell straight into his path. Amirul converted two Penalty Strokes (PS), either side of a Benjamin Kelner goal off a PC variation. Kaiser’s PC conversion four minutes from the end and a PS from captain Mateusz Nyckowiak reduced the deficit to one, but the Bangladesh players held on, getting their hands on the newly instated piece of silverware.
Korea pips China to 19th
South Korea sealed 19th place in the World Cup with a 5-4 win over China. Minhyeok Lee extended his goal tally to 11 in the competition after scoring two PCs in the first quarter. China had multiple chances to draw level but failed to capitalise on counterattacks in the final third. Haiyang Yu missed three chances to get on the scoresheet, two of which were one-on-ones with the goalkeeper.
Jaewon Park scored a memorable solo goal in the second quarter, dancing past the defenders while running in from the right flank before slotting it past the keeper. China had an opportunity to pull one back with a PS, but Yu’s tame attempt was kept out by goalkeeper Taemin Sohn, who threw his helmet down and celebrated with his hand kept firmly on his chest.
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Pengfei Li’s air-dribble-and-tomahawk finish helped China pull one back in the third quarter. Things went from bad to worse for Korea when goalscorer Lee tweaked his ankle and had to be stretchered off. But Donggeon Kim ensured the team wouldn’t miss its PC expert, scoring from the set piece to extend the lead. Li scored two more to bring up his hat-trick and Yanwei Di also bagged one of his own, but the team ran out of time to force a tie. China’s poor PC conversion (zero from six) eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides.
African nations finish on a high
Egypt capped off its World Cup with a shootout win over Canada to finish 21st in the standings. Captain Basel Abdelmonem’s double had given the side a comfortable lead, but twin PSs from Robin Thind late in the third quarter brought the North American team level. Egypt goalkeeper Ebraheem Arafaat proved to be the point of difference in the tiebreak, saving one and forcing the attacker off target on two other attempts to help the 15th-ranked nation finish on a high.
Namibia beat Oman 4-2 in the contest to decide the last two places in the rankings. The match was much closer than the scoreline suggests. Captain John-Paul Britz’s PC five minutes from the end and a clincher in the final minute from Ludwig van Rooyen, after Oman threw the kitchen sink, proved to be the difference between the sides.
THE RESULTS
For 23rd place
Namibia 4 (Josh van der Merwe 19, Gerhard Myburgh 22, John-Paul Britz 55-pc, Ludwig van Rooyen 60) bt Oman 2 (Maitham Al Wahaibi 14-ps, Alhussin Al Hasni 48-pc).
For 21st place
Egypt 2 (Basel Abdelmonem 3-ps & 38) drew with Canada 2 (Robin Thind 43-ps & 45-ps); Egypt wins 3-2 via shootout.
For 19th place
South Korea 5 (Minhyeok Lee 1-pc & 13-pc, Jaewon Park 20, Donggeon Kim 73-pc, Gyeonghu Lee 48) bt China 4 (Pengfei Li 34, 38-pc & 60, Yanwei Di 56).
For 17th place
Bangladesh 5 (Amirul Islam 15-pc, 50-ps & 52-ps, Hozifa Hossain 27-pc, Rakibul Hasan 35) bt Austria 4 (Andor Losonci 44, Benjamin Kelner 51-pc, Julian Kaiser 57-pc, Mateusz Nyckowiak 59-ps).
Published on Dec 08, 2025