India face Germany in the second semi-final of the 2021 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup. Hosts India are also the defending champions, while Germany are the most successful team. Check match and telecast details here.
In a mouth-watering 2021 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup semi-final match, holders and two-time champions India take on the most successful side in the history of the tournament, Germany at Bhubaneswar, Odisha on December 3 (Friday), 2021. (More Hockey News)
The IND vs GER match will be telecast live on TV, and fans can also watch it online. Here's all you need to know about IND vs GER hockey match:
India, who defeated Belgium by a solitary goal in a repeat of the last edition's final for a place in the last four, will face probably the biggest challenge of the tournament when they take on Germany. The German colts will be extra motivated to beat their Indian rivals. India had defeated Germany in the bronze medal play-off at Tokyo Olympics. Also, in Benedikt Schwarzhaupt, Germany have a capable leader and a brilliant defender.
The hosts have started the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup title defence on a disappointing note, losing to France 4-5. But a 13-1 win against minnows Canada in the next Pool B outing revived India's campaign. They eventually finished second in the group, behind France, with two wins. The second win came against Poland (8-2). Then, the Vivek Prasad-led side survived an intense quarter-final against Belgium.
Germany also survived an intense quarter-final clash against Spain, with the winners deciding on penalties (3-1) after 2-2 in regulation time. But the Germans were unbeaten in the group phase, winning all their Pool D matches -- against Pakistan (5-2), Argentina (3-2) and Egypt (11-0). And unlike India, their pool was much tougher.
India are chasing their fourth final appearance, having done so in 1997, 2001 and 2016. They won the title in 2001 and 2016 (at home). India finished fourth in 2005.
Such is Germany's dominance in the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup that this is their 11th semi-final appearance in 12 editions, and they had played seven finals, winning six of those. The only time they had failed to make the last four was in the 2005 edition, in the Netherlands.
For the record, no other team has won the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup more than once, except Germany and India. Thus, the second semi-final of the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2021 makes it a clash between the two most successful sides. Argentina (2005), Australia (1197) and Pakistan (1979) were the other teams to have lifted the trophy.
In the first semi-final, France take on Argentina. The match starts at 4:30 PM IST.
Match details
Match: FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2021, semi-final match between India vs Germany
Date: December 3 (Friday), 2021
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
How to watch India vs Germany, FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2021 semi-final match
Live streaming of the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2021 is available on Disney+ Hotstar. Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD and Star Sports 3 will telecast the knockout matches live from December 1 to 5.