Bhubaneswar, Dec 5 (UNI) India are set to lock horns with France once again at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup in the bronze medal contest here at the Kalinga stadium on Sunday.
The two teams faced each other in the tournament opener on November 24, where France emerged victorious by 5-4 in a close encounter.
"We will be taking as many positives as we can from our performances in the tournament so far, and we will be ready for Sunday. I am very confident the team will be back to the level we need to be up against France," India chief coach Graham Reid said ahead of the clash.
After the loss against France, India colts registered three victories in the row, defeating Canada 13-1, Poland 8-2, and Belgium 1-0, but fell short in the semifinal 2-4 to Germany and missed out on the chance to defend their title in the final against Argentina.
While talking about the heartbreaking defeat against Germany in the semifinal, Reid said, "I am disappointed that we did not put our best foot forward in the first and second quarter. The basics let us down a bit. Germany attacked well, defended well, and had intensity about them. They did what we were trying to do."
He further added that, “But we hope to learn from this experience about what we should be doing at this level if we want to win. One of the great things to come out of the game was; none of the players gave up the fight, and we played better in the second half. As a Coach, you have to admire that."
Meanwhile, France also had a tremendous tournament, as they won all their Group B games, defeating India 5-4, Poland 7-1, and Canada 11-1.
In the quarterfinal, France defeated Malaysia 4-0. But their hopes to win the trophy shattered after they suffered a loss in the semifinal against Argentina 1-3 (0-0) in a shoot-out.
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