Bangladesh ready to shock strong France

Bangla Press Desk:   Bangladesh will face France tonight at 6:15 PM Bangladesh time in their final group-stage match of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Chennai. After an impressive debut against Australia on Saturday — a narrow 5–3 defeat — the young Tigers built further momentum on Sunday by holding South Korea to a thrilling 3–3 draw.

Their next challenge, however, is their toughest yet. 

France, runners-up in the 2023 edition in Malaysia, have dominated Group A with an 11–1 win over South Korea and an 8–3 victory over Australia. Still, Bangladesh are determined to test the group leaders and show that their fearless performances are no fluke.

“We will fight for what we are worth,” said Dutch coach Sigfried Aikman ahead of the match. 

“It will be tough, but the previous matches were tough too. We always try to get the best possible result. We hope to surprise France, who are already topping the group.”

Reflecting on the team’s debut World Cup campaign, Aikman added, “I am not only satisfied but extremely proud of the team’s performance — their dedication, energy, and relentless drive on the field. We hope to stay fresh and give our best against France.”

Once again, Bangladesh will rely heavily on penalty-corner specialist Amirul Islam, who has scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the first two matches.

“Amirul has a very powerful flick and is a key part of our penalty-corner setup — injector, stopper, flicker,” Aikman explained. “He can flick with topspin, adding extra speed and power. As a defender, he still needs development — he made some marking mistakes against Korea — but he still finished with a second hat-trick, which benefited the team greatly.”

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