Lausanne, Switzerland: Netherlands stormed into the finals of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 as they thrashed England by 8-1 goals in a one-sided match. In the other semifinal of the day, Argentina and Belgium played out a thriller with both teams not ready to give up on themselves. Later, it was decided via shootouts with Argentina emerging victorious.

Let’s read a bit in detail about the two classification matches and two semifinals that were held on Friday in Chile.

Spain vs Germany (Full-Time Score: 1-2)

Katharina Haid’s penalty corner proved to be the difference between the two sides as Germany beat Spain 2-1 in a thrilling encounter. Germany started the game on a positive note with Marie Fischer scoring an insane field goal in the first quarter itself.

While Paula Jimenez tried to bring Spain back into the game by scoring a penalty stroke, it wasn’t enough as Haid converted one corner within a minute to keep Germany in the lead. The last edition’s finalists will next play for a 5th–6th position.

“After a heartbreaking loss to England, it was a hard fight today against Spain, but we had our plans in place and executed it well. Although we couldn’t qualify for the semifinals, we will look forward to finishing fifth in the World Cup”, said the Player of the Match Katharina Haid.

Australia vs Japan (Full-Time Score: 1-0)

Tatum Stewart scored her fourth goal of the tournament to secure the win for Australia. After missing out on eight penalty corners, the Aussie women were finally able to convert the ninth one in the 59th minute to set up a 5th-place clash against Germany.

While Australia penetrated the opposition’s circle multiple times, it was firmly defended by the Japanese defense, which has been one of the most formidable ones in the tournament.

The player of the Match Amy Lawton was happy with the result but said the team will work with the video analyst on the missing PCs. “We would give it our all to beat Germany in our last match,” she concluded.

Netherlands vs England (Full-Time Score: 8-1)

The Dutch women destroyed England’s dreams of reaching a Junior Women’s World Cup final for the first time as they beat England to win 8-1. The match didn’t look like a semifinal clash with Netherlands having the ball possession for the maximum time and scoring goals in regular intervals.

Trijntje Beljaars, who is currently the highest goal-scorer in the tournament, yet again showed her prowess as she scored two brilliant field goals. Emma Reijnen (20’ and 53’) and Mikki Roberts (1’ and 46’) also scored a brace each while Jip Dicke (17’) and Lili De Nooijer (35’) netted one goal each.

Player of the Match Jip Dicke said, “We are extremely happy to be qualifying for the finals of the World Cup yet again. We had made up our mind to play hard from the very first minute and that’s why we were able to score eight goals. We will keep things simple for the final as it has been going well for us. I am sure we would have our hands on the trophy once more if we play well according to our plans.”

Argentina vs Belgium [Full-Time Score: 0-0 (Shootout Score: 3-1)]

Argentine goalkeeper Artola Mercedes put on a stunning performance as they beat Belgium to enter the finals of the Junior World Cup! Even after continuous attacks and some great hockey that was seen on Friday night, the score remained at 0-0 after the end of 60 minutes.

It was then time for the shootouts as Paula Santamarina took the first shot at goal for Argentina failing to convert it. Argentina converted the last three shootouts while Belgium failed to convert the first three, taking them to the finals.

Skipper Valentina Raposo was adjudged the Player of the Match for guiding the Argentines to the grand finale. They will now face the defending champions Netherlands in the showdown on Sunday.

To see the schedule of the upcoming matches, click here.

FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2023 – 08 December 2023

Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional

Result: 5th–8th Place Classification Match

Spain 1-2 Germany

Player of the Match: Katharina Haid (GER)

Umpires: Kristy Robertson (AUS) and Kamile Mockaityte (LTU)

Result: 5th–8th Place Classification Match

Australia 1-0 Japan

Player of the Match: Amy Lawton (AUS)

Umpires: Katrina Turner (NZL) and Durga Devi (IND)

Result: Semifinal 1

Netherlands 8-1 England

Player of the Match: Jip Dicke (NED)

Umpires: Magali Sergeant (BEL) and Sandra Adell (ESP)

Result: Semifinal 2

Argentina 0-0 Belgium (Shootout score: 3-1)

Player of the Match: Valentina Raposo (ARG)

Umpires: Lizelotte Wolter (NED) and Melissa Taylor (RSA)