India Clinch Bronze After Spectacular Performance in Junior Hockey World Cup

In the third-place playoff at the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup 2025 in Chennai on Tuesday, India overcame Argentina 4-2 after falling behind by two goals. The Indian boys pulled off an incredible comeback to stun the South American team with a four-goal salvo in the final moments of the match after trailing 0-2 until the fourth quarter and looking certain to lose.

The game was tied at 2-2 and on the verge of a penalty shootout, but the home team's two late goals sealed the tie and a podium finish. After losing to Germany 1–5 in the semifinal on December 7, India was eliminated from the final race. India's hopes of winning a first title since 2016 came to an abrupt end with the crushing defeat. But after two editions without a medal, the home team had plenty to celebrate with the bronze.

Nine years ago, the Boys in Blue won their first Junior World Cup title in Lucknow after defeating Belgium 2-1 in the championship match. Argentina scored early in the first quarter of the play-off game and got off to a quick start. The South Americans received a high-pressure Penalty Corner. Argentina's lead was doubled in the third quarter after a goalless second quarter, thanks to a short corner goal from Santiago Fernandez.

The desperate Indian team went all out in the second half as they faced a race against time to survive the match. India scored twice through Penalty Corners in the last quarter, thanks to the home crowd, thanks to goals from Anmol and Manmeet Singh. After regaining parity, India took the lead in the 56th minute thanks to a stroke from Sharda Nand Tiwari.

Argentina pulled out their goalkeeper in an attempt to gain a numerical advantage as they scrambled for a late equaliser, but India prevailed thanks to a late penalty corner. Two minutes before the final whistle, Anmol completed the formalities by converting in front of an open goal to give India a historic bronze. After failing to place on the podium the previous two times—finishing fourth in Bhubaneswar in 2021 and Kuala Lumpur two years later—the victory also put an end to India's protracted medal drought.

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