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Junior World Cup: Belgium seek redemption in clash with Canada | Scoop
Belgium’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stages shattered by finishing third in Group D. — Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 10, 2023
Sports

Junior World Cup: Belgium seek redemption in clash with Canada

Belgium’s unfortunate exit meets Canada’s Determined underdog spirit

Main Author Image
Sandru Narayanan
Updated
7:34 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR — The Red Lions came to the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup with the intention to maul their opponents. 

However, the world number five was unfortunate to not qualify for the quarter-finals and their hopes of finishing the campaign on a high note now rest on their ninth to 16th-place classification against Canada tomorrow.

Despite scoring a total of eight goals in Group D against formidable teams such as the Netherlands, Pakistan, and New Zealand, Jeroen Baart’s side, which conceded six goals in the tournament, has seen their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages shattered by finishing third in their group.

“It was a disappointing campaign for us at the World Cup. We came to Malaysia with high expectations, hoping to finish in the top 4-5 at least. 

“We played some good hockey in the tournament and scored many goals, but it wasn’t enough for us to propel ourselves to the top. 

“It’s not easy to compete with the teams in our group, especially considering their proficiency in penalty corners. 

“Our defence was lacking in the last two games, leading us to this situation. We don’t want to dwell much on the next match; we just want to focus and play some good hockey to finish at least in the ninth position in this tournament,” said Baart.

Canada continue to have a positive outlook despite not advancing to the last eight. — Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, December 10, 2023

Meanwhile, Canada, considered the underdogs of the tournament, has been the punching bag for their Group B opponents. 

The Red Caribou, grouped with Spain, India, and South Korea, conceded 21 goals and finished at the bottom of their group after a 10-1 defeat to India in their final group match yesterday.

Head coach Geoffrey Matthews expressed pride in his team’s progress in the World Cup and hopes for his players to learn as much as they can from the tournament.

“We are not really a field hockey nation, and seeing us qualify for the World Cup with these young talented players is already a great achievement for us.

“As a coach, I’m happy that my players were brave enough to compete against these top giants with better fitness and physical strength. 

“In our next classification match, we won’t focus solely on the results but will look at the valuable lessons we can bring back to Vancouver to improve for our future tournaments,” said Matthews. 

Belgium’s best performance in the World Cup came in the 2016 edition in Lucknow, India when they were defeated by the host 2-1 in the final.

Canada who has qualified for seven World Cups had their best finish in the tournament in the 1982 edition in Kuala Lumpur in which they finished eighth. — December 10, 2023

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