KUALA LUMPUR – Defending champions Argentina have finally overcome their sticky situation, fighting hard to defeat Australia in their opening group match at the Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup.
Head coach Juan Ignacio Gilard said his team were delighted to have finally received their missing hockey sticks since departing from Buenos Aires on November 28.
“We wouldn’t have won this match without our specialised sticks, and we are happy that we got them yesterday, just in time for our match today.
“We’ve been struggling to train over the past few days, but now we’re feeling better and more confident than before.
“I admire the mentality of my players. At first, they were a bit nervous, concerned that they didn’t have enough time to prepare to face this formidable Australian team.
“However, the moment they stepped on the turf, they fought hard from the beginning until the end of the game. Overall, it was a great performance by my team,” said Juan.
Juan, a former defender and a gold medallist with Argentina in the 2016 Rio Olympics, also said that his team are well prepared for potential threats in their second group match against Malaysia tomorrow.
“It won’t be easy to play against the hosts, as they have proven to be a very strong team by recently defeating India in a friendly match.
“We need to improve before facing Malaysia. Even based on today’s game, we failed to take advantage of many opportunities, especially on our penalty corners.
“We will watch Malaysia’s opening game against Chile tonight and analyse their strengths and weaknesses,” Juan added.
Meanwhile, Australia’s head coach, Jay Stacy, blamed the mentality of his players as the main cause for his side’s defeat.
“Our ball movements were too slow, and our boys were very nervous throughout the match, perhaps because they had the mentality that they were playing against the defending world champions.
“At times, we were the better side, playing with more urgency, but unfortunately, we ended up on the losing end.
“Tomorrow is a new day, and we have plans against Chile. We will identify the challenges, and see what we can improve to get better. We don’t have time to carry baggage, and one defeat doesn’t lose us the tournament,” said Jay.
Los Leones scored late to defeat Australia 1-0 in the opening Group A game at the National Hockey Stadium today.
Ignacio Nardolillo scored the only goal of the match in the 58th minute. – December 5, 2023