India Beat Canada 10-1 To Make It To The Next Level
At Kuala Lumpur, the venue of the ongoing Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, Day Five (November 09) of the
Men’s Junior World Cup saw the final games of Pool C and Pool D play out in vastly different ways.
Pool C witnessed two high-scoring games finish convincingly. Spain’s third win was an 8-2 victory over Korea
that saw them top the group unbeaten, whilst India’s merciless 10-1 pounding of Canada pushed them into
second. India notched up two wins (Korea and Canda) and a loss (Spain).
Korea found the third place, with one win and two losses, whilst Canada stuck to the bottom spot with a
pointless campaign.
Like so many other games so far in the tournament, India’s huge win over Canada was a frenzied display of
goal scoring. A relatively quiet first half saw India 3-1 up at half-time. A field goal in the eighth minute opened
the scoring for India before they converted two of their five first-half penalty corners. Canada found the net
for a second time in the tournament, but it served only to jolt the Indians into more action.
The second half proved to be more of a rampage as three field goals were scored across the 42nd and 43rd
minute, before the final 15 minutes saw four more go straight through the Canadian goalpost. Two in the
51st minute preceded two final field goals which sealed the game’s tally at an awe-inspiring 10-1.
Two field goals from Ajrun Aditya Lalage ensured his Player of the Match award. Before receiving his award,
he said that his team had “learnt from the mistakes against Spain and tried to not repeat those mistakes in
this game.” “We will give our 100 percent in the next game,” he added.
The Indian side is captained by Uttam Singh.
Held every two years, the Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup turns out to be an extravaganza of budding
talent. This is where young players from some of the leading hockey-playing nations of the world
assemble to test their talent and skills on an international platform. As per the rules and regulations of
the championship, competitors need to be under the age of 21 as of December 31 of the year ahead of
the one in which the tournament is held. 16 teams compete in exciting matches for the ultimate prize,
the Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup.
While Argentina and France have maintained flawless records, Spain continues to shine bright in this
tournament.
The 2023 Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup is being held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 05 –
16 2023. The Indian state of Odisha is the Global Partner among others for the Indian team.
Bengali