FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup:Timothe Clements wraps it with a hat-trick and bronze for team France

Team India that finished fourth

Timothe Clements wraps it with a hat-trick and bronze for team France

It was skipper Timothe Clements who led France from the front with a hat-trick of goals to set aside the challenge of the hosts and the defending champions India in the bronze medal game of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.

Today’s 3-1 triumph was reiteration enough that the 5-4 upset win in the opening pool game against the defending champions was no fluke. 

It was even more special for Timothe Clement as he started and ended the tournament with a hat-trick of goals against India. He richly deserved the Player of the Match award. He ended the second highest goal scorer with 14 goals to his credit. Miles Bukkens of the Netherlands remained the top scorer with 18 goals.

Earlier, the Netherlands beat Belgium 6-4 to take the fifth position and Spain recorded a clean 4-1 win over Malaysia to finish seventh.

Though a sizeable home crowd expected the home team to avenge its earlier pool game defeat, France had drawn plans to reconfirm its superiority with a return win.

Timothe Clements may have scored a hat-trick of goals, but it is not to deny Indian goalkeeper Pawan his gallant work under the bar for he executed several saves. The problem with the Indian team throughout the tournament had been that under pressure it starts playing football to concede avoidable penalty corners. 

Indian players probably need little more maturity and confidence in handling pressure while defending. Frequent foot fouls or “carreds” yield penalty corners that good teams convert into goals. And France did it for the second time in the tournament.

After a closely fought first quarter, little slackness in Indian defence was enough for France to forge ahead in the 26thminute with Timothe Clements picking up his penalty corner flicks from where he left in the first match. After his first goal in the first half, he followed it up with lethal flicks in the 34th and 47th minutes to script a splendid win for his team.

Though India had its chances, especially when a brilliant drive by Araijit Hundal hit the goalpost and bounced back into play in the first quarter. Goal by Sudeep was a masterpiece as he lobbed the ball over the French goalkeeper in the 44thminute raising hopes of an Indian fight back. But it was not to be.

The day belonged to France and Timothe Clement.

FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup

Timothe Clements wraps it with a hat-trick and bronze for team France

It was skipper Timothe Clements who led France from the front with a hat-trick of goals to set aside the challenge of the hosts and the defending champions India in the bronze medal game of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.

Today’s 3-1 triumph was reiteration enough that the 5-4 upset win in the opening pool game against the defending champions was no fluke. 

It was even more special for Timothe Clement as he started and ended the tournament with a hat-trick of goals against India. He richly deserved the Player of the Match award. He ended the second highest goal scorer with 14 goals to his credit. Miles Bukkens of the Netherlands remained the top scorer with 18 goals.

Earlier, the Netherlands beat Belgium 6-4 to take the fifth position and Spain recorded a clean 4-1 win over Malaysia to finish seventh.

Though a sizeable home crowd expected the home team to avenge its earlier pool game defeat, France had drawn plans to reconfirm its superiority with a return win.

Timothe Clements may have scored a hat-trick of goals, but it is not to deny Indian goalkeeper Pawan his gallant work under the bar for he executed several saves. The problem with the Indian team throughout the tournament had been that under pressure it starts playing football to concede avoidable penalty corners. 

Indian players probably need little more maturity and confidence in handling pressure while defending. Frequent foot fouls or “carreds” yield penalty corners that good teams convert into goals. And France did it for the second time in the tournament.

After a closely fought first quarter, little slackness in Indian defence was enough for France to forge ahead in the 26thminute with Timothe Clements picking up his penalty corner flicks from where he left in the first match. After his first goal in the first half, he followed it up with lethal flicks in the 34th and 47th minutes to script a splendid win for his team.

Though India had its chances, especially when a brilliant drive by Araijit Hundal hit the goalpost and bounced back into play in the first quarter. Goal by Sudeep was a masterpiece as he lobbed the ball over the French goalkeeper in the 44thminute raising hopes of an Indian fight back. But it was not to be.

The day belonged to France and Timothe Clement.