Chennai, Dec 7 (IANS) Spain became the first team to book final spot in the final of the FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2025 beating Argentina 2-1 on Sunday at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. 

Spain’s early possession, forced Argentina into a defensive formation that was advantageous to the talented Spanish players. The Argentine defense was effectively confused by the constant switching of positions between Spain’s front three and midfield.

In the seventh minute, the Spanish team went ahead. The first Penalty Corner (PC) of the game came via Pere Amat’s deft turn close to the 23-meter line, which gave him room to feed Nicolas Mutaros inside the D. After the Argentine goalie stopped Bruno Aliva’s first drag-flick, Mario Mena took advantage of a rebound to score.

The nearly full crowd applauded every tackle, pass, save, and activity after the first goal broke the curtain of caution from both teams. The South Americans advanced immediately away after the restart, earning their first PC and banging the upright with the next short corner routine.

Juan Fernandez deftly deflected captain Tomas Ruiz’s goalbound drag-flick over the diving Spanish custodian in the 20th minute, giving the Little Lions their first equalizer. Argentina’s attacking danger finally emerged in the second quarter following a rather poor start.

The third quarter was mainly unremarkable because both sides started the second half cautiously. But the last fifteen minutes were filled with drama.

Avila, the Spanish defender, recovered possession close to the midline with just over four minutes left and attempted a hopeful shot. Fortunately, the ball barely touched Albert Serrahima’s stick before finding its way into the Argentine goal. After a protracted video referral, the goal remained despite angry protestations from Argentina.

Argentina’s coach, Juan Gilardi, substituted an extra outfield player for the goalie in a desperate attempt to equalize. Argentina was given a PC in the last seconds, suggesting that the man advantage paid off. But once more, a video referral went against the Latin American team, securing Spain’s spot in the grand finale and confirming the final score.

–IANS

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