Germany, which has thrived thanks to great cohesion as a team, has the wherewithal to handle Spain in the summit clash of the FIH men’s junior Hockey World Cup in Chennai on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
Germany has been nothing short of a force of nature at the FIH junior men’s hockey World Cup. Unrelenting in attack, rock-solid in defence, and efficient — if not exceptional — in penalty-corner conversions, the defending champion has looked a class apart.
In contrast, Spain, it’s opponent in Wednesday’s final, has appeared less convincing across these departments. It doesn’t take a Nostradamus to see Germany, the seven-time champion, as the favourite when the two European sides clash.
Yet Spain, appearing in its maiden final after bronze-medal finishes in 2005 and 2023, has shown tactical adaptability, mixing open play attacks with set-piece opportunities rather than relying on an one-dimensional approach.
Head coach Oriol Puig Torras acknowledged the challenge. “Germany, for me, is the best team in the tournament. It’s a very good side with structure. But it’s only one match — a final. We need to come out with our best version,” he said.
Frailties
Spain’s defensive frailties were exposed in the quarterfinal against New Zealand, when a 3–0 lead was nearly erased before Bruno Avila’s late penalty-corner winner. The semifinal against Argentina was tighter, with Albert Serrahima scoring the decisive goal. Spain did not dominate but controlled the key moments.
Germany has mostly pressed high, forced turnovers, and created repeated circle entries, culminating in the demolition of India in the semifinals. Against France, it struggled in defence, but came back strongly to win thus showing its mental fortitude. Mirko Stenzel and Johannes Schmitz, Germany’s co-coaches, said one of the team’s biggest strengths is it doesn’t look back.
“It’s a different World Cup campaign this time with different players. We don’t look back. The full focus is every game is so huge and I think it’s the biggest difference between us and other teams,” they said.
On taking on Spain, Stenzel said: “We’ve played them twice in this summer in Berlin and we saw what their qualities were. For us, it’s no surprise that they are in the final now,” he said.
India, meanwhile, will look to salvage its pride when it faces Argentina for the bronze medal.
Published – December 09, 2025 08:12 pm IST
