Vice-captain Sanjay scored a hat-trick but it was not enough as France stunned defending champions and favourites India 5-4 in their openin...
Vice-captain Sanjay scored a hat-trick but it was not enough as France stunned defending champions and favourites India 5-4 in their opening Pool B match of the FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha on Wednesday.
France skipper Timothee Clement (1st, 23rd and 32nd minute) scored a hat-trick of drag flicks for his side, while Benjamin Marque (7th) and Corentin Sellier (48th) were the other goal scorers for world no. 26 France. Sanjay (15th, 57th, 58th) too converted three penalty corners for India while Uttam Singh (10th) scored the other goal for the hosts.
FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, as it happened: India lose a thriller 4-5 against France
France stunned India in the first minute of the match when the defence of the hosts was caught off guard by Clement. The Frenchmen continued to attack the Indian citadel, which resulted in a second goal through a field goal from Marque.
Down 0-2, a stunned India responded back within three minutes and pulled a goal back with a field strike from Uttam Singh after a drag flick was not cleared and the Indian capitalised on the defensive chaos. Pumped up, the defending champions kept up the pressure with a flurry of attacks but the...
