Jr. Hockey World Cup: India To Face Belgium In Quarter-Finals

On Wednesday the followers of hockey are in for a feast as defending winners India will be taking on Belgium in the quarterfinals of the Junior Hockey World Cup at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. It will be a do again of 2016 final in Lucknow when India came out on top in presence of a loud home crowd and it’s supposed to be added nail-biter.

While India failed their opener against France, they came back steadily in the following two group matches and scored impressive victories facing both Canada and Poland. They have seen danger every time they have pushed forth and have counted a sum of 25 goals in their three matches.

India came back from the shock of losing to France and drew 21 goals past Canada and Poland. However, their last-eight encounter against the table-toppers from Group A will be a far harder job, with a much less edge of failure. India will possibly have less scoring opportunities, while lots of questions could be raised to goalkeepers and their penalty bend defending.

India will take on Belgium in the newest part of what’s changing into an interesting, although one-sided, competition in international hockey. When it comes to conflicts between the two teams’ senior sides, Belgium almost always has had an upper hand in it. But when the U-21s matches in the Junior World Cup quarterfinals, India will be wishing for a replay of the 2016 Junior World Cup final decision, when they controlled.

The hosts will take root from India’s winning against Belgium in the final of the 2016 session at Lucknow. Despite the fact that those were two separate teams. On the same Wednesday in another quarter-final match, six-time champions Germany will take on their rivals Spain, the Netherlands will eagerly be looking to conquer their first cup in the Junior World Cup, meet Argentina meanwhile France faces Malaysia in third quarter-final.