Picture Credit: Hockey India
Match Details
Date: December 5, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar
Preview: Six-time champions Germany and 2005 title winners Argentina will be fighting it out against each other in the final of Junior Men's Hockey World Cup 2021 on Sunday. The game between the sides kicks off at 7:30 PM IST.
Germany advanced to the finale after outplaying India 4-2 in the semi-final, while Argentina registered a nail-biting win over France to compete for a second title.
Analysis:
Germany: The side has controlled its game beautifully in the tournament so far. They come to the final unbeaten and it will be really hard for Argentina to find the loopholes in the team, especially considering the fact that they have already lost once to the side early in the tournament.
Germany started with a decent 5-2 win over Pakistan, then defeated Argentina 2-1 before thrashing Egypt 11-0 in their final game in Pool D. In the quarter-final, they showed nerves of steel despite trailing by a goal with just 30 seconds left in the game against Spain. They not only pushed the game to the penalty shootout but dominated the game thereon and entered the semi-final where they produced relentless attack to outplay India.
Argentina: They announced their arrival at the event with a thumping 14-0 win over Egypt. However, they lost to Germany in the very next game before defeating Pakistan by a difference of one goal to enter the quarter-final. After that, they inched the Netherlands to earn a hard-fought victory. In the semi-final, Argentina upset France and ended the game in a goalless draw before handing a shock defeat to the 2013 finalists in a penalty shootout.
Argentina have also been lucky in the tournament quite often, however, stating so, one must admire their resilience on the field they have shown against tough opponents and that is the reason they have reached the tournament finale.
Key Players:
Germany: Benedikt Schwarzhaupt, Christopher Kutter, Masi Pfandt, Matteo Poljaric, Michel Struthoff
Argentina: Franco Agostini, Bautista Capurro, Facundo Zarate.
Conclusion: Germany are excepted to win this game, considering their exquisite class and experience. Meanwhile, the way they bounced back against Spain shows their fighting spirit which will be a big challenge for Argentina in the finale.