<p>Chennai: Maiden finallists Spain had promised to put on a tough fight. Powerhouse Germany were hungry to grab hold of the trophy for an eighth time. </p>.<p>In what ensued at the final of the FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup here at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Wednesday was a battle of equals though one team relied on heart and the other on muscle. Eventually, following a 1-1 tie at the end of full-time, Germany kept their emotions in check to score a 3-2 victory via shootout to leave Spain heart-broken but proud of their exploits. </p>.<p>Goalkeeper and the star of the world No. 1 side’s campaign, Jasper Ditzer stole the limelight once again by saving three goals in the shootout. Though Spain got hold of the first point after both the teams missed their opening shots, Andres Medina stumbling in the fifth of the five chances (with Germany leading 3-2) saw Spain end as runners-up. </p>.<p>For the champion side, the win was proof of their dominance in the biggest hockey showpiece for age-group players in the world. For their European neighbours, the second-place trophy is an assurance of the sport heading in the right direction in a country that is madly in love with football. </p>.Men's Hockey Junior World Cup | Smarting India seeks redemption in face-off against Argentina.<p>Earlier, the match started off on a quiet note. With both sides matching each other’s energy and taking their time to figure out each other’s strengths and loopholes, the first quarter went goalless. The second quarter was lit up by Justus Warweg’s field goal in the 26th minute that broke the deadlock and took Germany ahead before Nicolas Mustaros slotted in Spain’s equaliser just after half-time in the 33rd minute. </p>.<p>Captain Ben Hasbach was in the right place at the right time to create one of the many opportunities that had come the Germans’ way by then. Beating a group of swarming Spanish defenders around him, the 21-year-old found a tiny gap to push the ball to Warweg, whose reverse hit into the goal gave Germany their opener.</p>.<p>Heaving a sigh of relief, the Germans began attacking their opponents’ circle more regularly. Having learnt from their mistake, Spain sharpened their defensive fort even as their forwards continued to trouble the opponents’ backline.</p>.<p>Spanish coach Oriol Torras Puig’s pass and play strategy finally bore fruit when a long pass from the left flank into the circle was received by Pablo Roman who fed the ball to Nicolas Mustaros. Steady wrist work resulted in an equaliser.</p>.<p>By the end of 60 minutes, Germany had a total of 16 circle penetrations and three penalty corners while Spain had breached the ‘D’ 15 times and earned five PCs. With little separating the two finallists, the balanced contest deserved a fitting finish. And Germany just about managed to stay an inch ahead to crown themselves again. </p>.<p class="ListBody">Result: Final: Germany: 3 (Justus Warweg 26th) bt Spain: 2 (Nicolas Mustaros 33rd) via shootout, FT: 1-1. </p>
<p>Chennai: Maiden finallists Spain had promised to put on a tough fight. Powerhouse Germany were hungry to grab hold of the trophy for an eighth time. </p>.<p>In what ensued at the final of the FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup here at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Wednesday was a battle of equals though one team relied on heart and the other on muscle. Eventually, following a 1-1 tie at the end of full-time, Germany kept their emotions in check to score a 3-2 victory via shootout to leave Spain heart-broken but proud of their exploits. </p>.<p>Goalkeeper and the star of the world No. 1 side’s campaign, Jasper Ditzer stole the limelight once again by saving three goals in the shootout. Though Spain got hold of the first point after both the teams missed their opening shots, Andres Medina stumbling in the fifth of the five chances (with Germany leading 3-2) saw Spain end as runners-up. </p>.<p>For the champion side, the win was proof of their dominance in the biggest hockey showpiece for age-group players in the world. For their European neighbours, the second-place trophy is an assurance of the sport heading in the right direction in a country that is madly in love with football. </p>.Men's Hockey Junior World Cup | Smarting India seeks redemption in face-off against Argentina.<p>Earlier, the match started off on a quiet note. With both sides matching each other’s energy and taking their time to figure out each other’s strengths and loopholes, the first quarter went goalless. The second quarter was lit up by Justus Warweg’s field goal in the 26th minute that broke the deadlock and took Germany ahead before Nicolas Mustaros slotted in Spain’s equaliser just after half-time in the 33rd minute. </p>.<p>Captain Ben Hasbach was in the right place at the right time to create one of the many opportunities that had come the Germans’ way by then. Beating a group of swarming Spanish defenders around him, the 21-year-old found a tiny gap to push the ball to Warweg, whose reverse hit into the goal gave Germany their opener.</p>.<p>Heaving a sigh of relief, the Germans began attacking their opponents’ circle more regularly. Having learnt from their mistake, Spain sharpened their defensive fort even as their forwards continued to trouble the opponents’ backline.</p>.<p>Spanish coach Oriol Torras Puig’s pass and play strategy finally bore fruit when a long pass from the left flank into the circle was received by Pablo Roman who fed the ball to Nicolas Mustaros. Steady wrist work resulted in an equaliser.</p>.<p>By the end of 60 minutes, Germany had a total of 16 circle penetrations and three penalty corners while Spain had breached the ‘D’ 15 times and earned five PCs. With little separating the two finallists, the balanced contest deserved a fitting finish. And Germany just about managed to stay an inch ahead to crown themselves again. </p>.<p class="ListBody">Result: Final: Germany: 3 (Justus Warweg 26th) bt Spain: 2 (Nicolas Mustaros 33rd) via shootout, FT: 1-1. </p>