KUALA LUMPUR – The wet and slippery Bukit Jalil turf posed no problem for Spain as they mauled Canada 7-0 in their opening group match of the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup at the National Hockey Stadium today.
Speaking to Scoop, Spanish head coach Javier Perea said that despite the adverse weather conditions, his charges have adapted well and are on track to accomplishing their goal of becoming champions of the tournament.
“The weather was not on our side today, as we are not familiar with playing in such rainy conditions but I’m proud to see the gameplay of my boys and the way they kept attacking Canada from the opening minutes of the game.
“I can see the amount of hard work they have put in to clinch this victory by playing with high flicks to battle the condition of the turf throughout the match.
“Their shoes were heavy, and they were struggling with their hockey sticks in the beginning, but with sheer determination, my boys kept going with the challenges, with one aim in their minds: to complete the mission that I told them to do,” said Perea.
Perea also said that his team should not get overly complacent and hopes to see them be respectful of their opponents at all costs.
“We are in a good run, but that doesn’t mean that we should be overconfident. Our opponents are good in their own ways, and we have no idea what kind of surprises they can pull out from their lockers.
“We are a really young team, but we also have the experience compared to many other young teams out there. We are going to approach every game in a smooth and relaxed manner,” the coach added.
Meanwhile, Canada’s head coach Geoffrey Matthews said that he hopes his players will improve from their flaws to avoid another humiliation in their second group match.
“I’m aware that we didn’t have enough training back in Vancouver after the Pan American Games in Chile, but that should not be the reason behind our defeat today. We need to buck up as we were poor on many occasions throughout the match.
“This is not the start that we wanted, and I hope that my players can learn from this defeat and do better in the next match,” added Matthews.
In the Group C encounter, Spain took the lead early through Nicolas Alvarez’s penalty corner in the second minute of the match.
Spain’s other six goals were scored by Pol Verdiell (11th), Andreas Rafi (17th), Oriol Bozal (44th & 45th), Xavier Barutell (52nd), and Bruno Font (55th).
The Red Sticks will face the Asian powerhouse India in their second group match on December 7. – December 5, 2023