India celebrated a commanding 5-0 victory over Switzerland in the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup held in Madurai on December 2. This win marked a significant milestone as it allowed India to qualify for the quarterfinals, maintaining their unbeaten streak in the tournament. India topped Pool B with nine points from three matches, showcasing their prowess on the field.
Manmeet Singh, who was also celebrating his birthday, made a notable contribution by scoring two goals in the 2nd and 11th minutes. Sharda Nand Tiwari added two more goals with penalty corner conversions in the 13th and 54th minutes, while Arshdeep Singh rounded off the scoring in the 28th minute with a well-executed reverse slap shot.
The match began with Switzerland showing promise by winning consecutive penalty corners early on. However, India’s defense held firm, quickly turning the tables as Manmeet found the net just two minutes into the game after a clever assist from Dilraj Singh. With this early goal, India took control, securing their first penalty corner in the 4th minute but failing to score. They did not remain scoreless for long, as Manmeet brilliantly deflected in a long pass to double the lead in the 11th minute, followed shortly by Sharda’s successful penalty corner conversion.
India continued to apply pressure, creating numerous chances throughout the first half. Although Switzerland earned some opportunities, including a penalty corner in the 23rd minute, they failed to capitalize. Arshdeep further extended India’s lead with a deft strike, making it 4-0 just before halftime.
After the break, Switzerland tried to regroup and mounted a couple of attacks. However, India’s goalkeeper, Prince Deep Singh, was instrumental in thwarting their efforts, particularly with a crucial save against a penalty stroke late in the third quarter. Despite several attempts, including additional penalty corners in the 50th minute, India could not add to their tally until Sharda scored again off a penalty corner in the 54th minute.
In another match of the tournament, Spain demonstrated their dominance by thrashing Namibia 13-0, also securing a spot in the quarterfinals by finishing atop Pool D with a perfect record. Bruno Avila shone in this match with four goals, including a hat-trick. Similarly, Belgium triumphed over Egypt with a 10-0 victory, solidifying their place in the knockout stage as the second-best team in Pool D.
The Netherlands also advanced to the quarterfinals from Pool E after defeating Austria 11-0, thanks to a hat-trick from Casper van der Veen. England’s 3-1 victory over Malaysia secured them second place in Pool E, though it was not sufficient to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Overall, the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup has seen impressive performances, with seven-time champions Germany, along with India, Argentina, Spain, Netherlands, and France, all securing direct spots in the quarterfinals.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2025/12/03/india-blank-switzerland-5-0-to-qualify-for-quarterfinals/
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Publish Date: 2025-12-03 06:38:00
