France will seek inspiration in the lyrics of their national anthem song “La Marseillaise” – a patriotic and nationalistic song and a hymn to freedom – to win their biggest battle of all time against Germany in the final of the 13th Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.
The French hosted the inaugural JWC in Versailles in 1979, but it was only in 2013 in New Delhi, India that they qualified for their first final and ended their adventure with a silver medal following a 5-2 defeat to Germany.
So technically, the French are seeking ten years of revenge on the Germans in tomorrow’s final.
“The players got a lot of inspiration when they sang our national anthem loudly against Spain in the semi-final. It changed the players’ mood of the players and lifted their spirits. Against Germany, we will need to play much better than we did in the pool match,” said France coach Matthias Dierckens.
“I think this is going to be a perfect final. We won 2-0 in the Pool B match, but every game is different. You always need to be careful with the Germans when they are not happy. They lost in the pool match and will want revenge. I don’t know how it will go, but we have to play far better than we did in all the other matches in the tournament if we want to win the title for the first time,” added Dierckens.
For the record, forward Jules Verrier scored both goals against Germany in the Pool B match, and France will look to him for a second blow.
Dismissing German coach Rein van Eijk’s pre-final match conference notion that the six-time champions, who are eyeing their seventh title, are simply the ‘underdogs,” a bemused Dierckens scoffed it off.
“Come on. We all know they are the favorites. They won the title six times. One defeat in the Pool match does not change anything. I think being favorites in sports is always a privilege. The number of training camps they had, the number of international matches they had, they played in the Pro League with the under-21 team, and so many more tournaments than us. I think they are still the favourites.
“But I would also like to credit my players for the way they played hard hockey and qualified for the final. On a good day, I do believe France can beat Germany, and I hope that day will be Saturday,” he added.
He pointed out that Germany’s forwards Florian Sterling, who has scored four goals, Nikas Berendts (3), and Paul Glander (3) will be a potent force whom they need to lock shackle.
The Germans, seeking to win their fourth JWC on Malaysian turf and seventh in the championships, are eagerly waiting for the countdown to the final. They have invited former coach Paul Lissek (who is often in Malaysia helping former national player Jiwa Mohan in his hockey academy), who was instrumental in Germany’s 1982 gold medal, for a motivational talk with the players today, a move van Eijk believes will work its magic against the French.
It was in the second edition of JWC that was held at the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium in Kuala Lumpur from 14 to 28 August, 1982 that the Germans won their first title by defeating Australia 4-1 in the final. They went on to win again in 1989 (Ipoh), and 2009 (jointly hosted by Johor and Singapore). Germany’s other titles were won in 1985 (Vancouver, Canada), 1993 (Terrassa, Spain), and 2013 (New Delhi, India).
“We want the players to get some connection with the former coaches and players who won the title in 1982. It is something very special to play in the JWC in general. It is a privilege, especially to play in a country like Malaysia, which has a long love for the game of hockey, almost like India,” said the German coach van Eijk.
He added that for some players on the team, the JWC in Kuala Lumpur may be their last international foray.
“There is also something very special about the Junior World Cup. For some players, this will be their final tournament as a junior, and for some, they will not make it into the team next time or into the senior team. Thus, this final is very important to them as they look back with fond memories and will be talked about in the future.
“The current team is very different because the game is very different. As a team, we are more athletic, a lot quicker, and we have an unusual amount of creative players upfront like Matteo Poljaric, who is able to dribble one-on-one and can make a lot of difference,” said van Eijk.
Indeed, an interesting final is on the cards tomorrow. Whether Germany continue with its domination in the competition to win the Cup for the seventh time or will it be a dream final to win the Cup for France the first time, remains to be seen.
