Madurai, Dec 8 – In a fitting close to the 2025 Junior World Cup held in Tamil Nadu, Bangladesh wrapped up their campaign by lifting the newly created Challenger Trophy. The title was clinched after a 5‑4 win over Austria on Monday, a result that also earned Bangladesh its first global‑level trophy in the sport.
The decisive match proved to be a showcase of Bangladeshi talent, with striker Amirul Islam putting on a masterclass. His hat‑trick was the highlight of the game and secured Bangladesh’s place at the top of the goal‑scoring chart with 18 goals in total.
Amirul was the main star of the 17‑18th place playoff. His drag‑flick from a penalty corner gave the team an early edge, and two more penalty‑stroke conversions cemented a 3‑0 advantage by the 35th minute. Austria fought back, narrowing the gap to 1‑3 and then to 4‑2 by the 51st minute, but Amirul’s third goal a minute later gave Bangladesh the breathing room they needed for the final eight minutes. The Austrians kept the pressure on, scoring in the 57th and 59th minutes, but Bangladesh held on to win the trophy.
Other games that day added to the excitement. Namibia beat Oman 4‑2 in the 23‑24th place match. The Namibians took the lead early, equalised in the 19th minute after Oman’s first goal, and were ahead 2‑1 after a second‑minute goal by Gerhard Myburgh. Oman pulled level through a penalty‑corner conversion at 48 minutes, but Namibia responded with another PC in the 55th minute and sealed the game with a field goal at 60 minutes, thanks to John‑Paul Britz and Ludwig van Rooyen.
Canada edged Egypt 3‑2 in a shoot‑out to secure 21st place after regulation finished 2‑2. Canada’s comeback was powered by Robin Thind’s brace, who scored late penalty‑corner goals in the 43rd and 45th minutes. Thind, along with Lucas Aardenburg, managed to beat the Egyptian keeper, but Mohamed Hegab, Ahmed Fouda, and Abdelrahman Kasem saved their shots, resulting in a 3‑2 victory for Egypt in the shoot‑out.
In the Asian showdown for 19‑20th place, Korea dominated China with a final score of 4‑5. Korea opened the scoring at the start, with Minhyeok Lee scoring from a corner in the first minute and again in the 13th. Jaewon Park added a third in the 20th minute, and a fourth came from Donggeon Kim just after the break. China fought back, with Li Pengfei netting three goals to finish the match with a hat‑trick, but Korea’s early advantage proved too much, and they lifted the 5‑4 win.
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