Men’s Jr World Cup 2025: Unbeaten India thrash Switzerland 5-0, set up quarterfinal against Belgium
In Chennai on December 2, the India junior men’s hockey squad secured a spot in the quarter‑finals of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025, thanks to an unbeaten run in the round‑robin phase. Their latest triumph came with a convincing 5–0 win over Switzerland at the Madurai International Hockey Stadium, and the team—captained by Rohit and coached by PR Sreejesh—will next face Belgium on December 5.
Switzerland’s visitors were outmatched by the junior Colts’ experience and assertive play. India’s attacking burst began just two minutes in, as birthday celebrant Manmeet Singh gave the home side an early advantage. He doubled the lead in the 11th minute with another dazzling field goal, while Sharda Nand Tiwari capitalised on a sharp play‑maker move to make it 3–0 by the 13th minute.
The start was exactly what the Indian squad needed, and it thrilled the Madurai crowd, who came out despite cyclonic weather. Arshdeep Singh, who had already netted a hat‑trick against Oman, added India’s fourth goal in the 28th minute. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh was on fire, pulling off superb saves that kept Switzerland from scoring.
India’s performance remained clinical even into the final quarter. Sharda Nand, who was named player of the match, scored a second goal and pushed the score to 5–0 in the 54th minute through a brilliant play‑maker effort, effectively sealing the victory and leaving Switzerland with no chance to catch up.
This result marked another dominant win for India, following a 7–0 rout of Chile and a staggering 17–0 demolition of Oman in earlier matches that earned them a spot in the knockout stage.
The next chapter for India will unfold in the quarter‑finals, set to be played in Chennai on December 5.
In other fixtures of the tournament, Australia edged Korea 3–1, England beat Malaysia by the same score, France edged Bangladesh 3–2, the Netherlands thundered Austria 11–0, Chile triumphed over Oman 2–0, Belgium comfortably defeated Egypt 10–0, and Spain overcame Namibia with a 13–0 triumph.
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