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FIH Hockey World Cup for Junior Men: India scripts history with its first-ever bronze
Ankit Pal (49’), Manmeet Singh (52’), Shardanand Tiwari (57’), and Anmol Ekka (58’) scored for India after Nicolas Rodriguez (3’) and Santiago Fernandez (44’) had given the visitors the lead.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Wed, 10, Dec 2025
- 15:19 EST
- 11
India vs Argentina hockey / Olympics
India drew a big consolation with a bronze medal in its lap as it wrapped up its FIH Hockey World Cup for Junior Men campaign on a winning note, defeating Argentina 4-2. It is the first time that India, the winner of the World Cup twice, has won a bronze medal in this elite FIH event for junior men.
The bronze medal win was all the more credible as the home team came from behind to topple the South American hockey powerhouse. Interestingly, in a blitzkrieg, India scored all four goals within a span of nine minutes in the fourth and the final quarter.
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Ankit Pal (49’), Manmeet Singh (52’), Shardanand Tiwari (57’), and Anmol Ekka (58’) scored for India after Nicolas Rodriguez (3’) and Santiago Fernandez (44’) had given the visitors the lead.
India lost its semi-final against defending champions Germany 1-3. It made amends in its final game of the tournament with a last-quarter blitzkrieg that stunned the Argentines, who were sitting comfortably with a 1-0 lead till the 44th minute, when they further increased the lead to 2-0.
But what struck them afterwards was that the South Americans must have been baffled. From the 49th minute onwards, it was India all over the Argentine territory, with four of the Indian heroes—Ankit Pal, Manmeet Singh, Shardanand Tiwai, and Anmol Ekka—making valuable contributions to the team’s triumph.
India began the game on the front foot, looking to make inroads against the Argentine defence. However, it was the visitors who took the lead against the run of play with Nicolas Rodriguez (3’) converting a penalty stroke. The hosts responded strongly after the early goal, looking for an instant response. India nearly found an opening towards the end of the first quarter, but it couldn’t make the most of it.
It was an encouraging start for India in the second quarter, picking up from where they left off in the first. It began to grow into the game and created more notable chances, putting pressure on the Argentine defence that stayed compact on most occasions. Dilraj Singh had a shot on target, while the hosts created a few half-chances with eight circle penetrations in the first half, continuing to dominate possession in search of the equaliser. However, Argentina held firm to close out the first half with a 1-0 advantage.
India got the ball rolling, earning a few penalty corners in the early exchanges of the third quarter. It remained relentless on the attack, asking questions of the Argentina defence that sat back. The visitors looked to play on the counterattack and did have their moments, but Prince Deep Singh kept India in the game with a brilliant double save. Argentina eventually doubled its lead with Santiago Fernandez (44’) slotting his effort into the back of the net towards the end of the third quarter.
The hosts continued to push forward in search of their opening goal and managed to get a penalty corner with around ten minutes to go. Anmol Ekka’s expertly executed drag flick allowed Ankit Pal (49’) to deflect it past the Argentine keeper, pulling a goal back for India. With momentum on its side, India executed a similar routine in another penalty corner two minutes later with Manmeet Singh (52’) profiting from Anmol Ekka’s setup, bringing India back on level terms.
India then earned a penalty stroke, and Shardanand Tiwari (57’) made no mistake, putting India in front with less than three minutes to go. In search of its third goal, Argentina opted to play without a goalkeeper. It did have an opportunity from a penalty corner, but the Indian defence stayed resilient. The hosts then put the result beyond all doubts after Anmol Ekka (58’) turned from provider to goal scorer, converting from a penalty corner. With four goals in eleven minutes, India completed a sensational comeback to secure the bronze medal.
Following this historic win, Hockey India announced INR 5 lakh each to players and INR 2.5 lakh to the support staff.
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