Germany and Argentina booked their places in the quarterfinals of the FIH Hockey World Cup for Junior Men in Tamil Nadu on Monday, while Asian contenders Japan and China bowed out after tough losses.

Defending champions Germany maintained their perfect record, topping Pool A with a comprehensive 5–1 win over Ireland to become the first team to secure a last-eight berth. Former champions Argentina also advanced after defeating China 3–1, edging New Zealand on goal difference to lead Pool C.

Germany extended their unbeaten run to three matches, with Jonas von Gersum scoring twice in the 4th and 50th minutes. Paul Glander, Christian Franz, and Lukas Kossel added to the tally through penalty-corner conversions and a penalty stroke.

Although the defending champions conceded their first goal of the tournament through Samuel Dale’s late strike, goalkeeper Jasper Ditzer impressed throughout the match.

“We had three good matches, but I think it was the toughest against Ireland because the conditions were really hot,” said captain Paul Glander. “The objective was to have no goal against us heading into the quarters. We didn’t achieve that, but we’re really excited to travel to Chennai now and play in front of a great crowd.”

In the other Pool A fixture, South Africa overpowered Canada 9–1 to finish second. Jaydon Brooker led with four goals, complemented by strikes from Brett Horn, Sian Maart, Daniel Neuhoff, Carlon Mentoor, and Ross Montgomery. Canada, which featured nine players of Indian origin, ended the group stage without a win.

“We wanted to give our all and score as many goals as possible,” Brooker said. “There were still chances that I think we should have put past the opposition goalkeeper, but I am really impressed with the boys’ performance.”

South Africa will now wait for pool play to conclude to see if they rank among the two best second-placed teams eligible for the quarterfinals.

In Pool C, New Zealand staged a determined second-half recovery to defeat Japan 3–2 and reach seven points. The victory eliminated Japan, while China had already fallen out of contention.

A rain-affected match saw Japan turn an early deficit into a 2–1 halftime lead with goals from Kyoya Toya and Matsuki Muri. But the Black Sticks responded strongly after the break, equalizing through Owen Brown before Jonty Elmes fired in the match-winner.

“It feels awesome… I think we are showing that with belief and hard work, we can make something special happen,” Elmes said. “It was a very difficult game with stoppages and stuff. We have to look back on what we can improve upon, but I am very happy that we got over the line today.”

New Zealand must now wait to see whether their seven points are enough to secure one of the two best runners-up spots.

A weather-delayed final match saw Argentina stay composed to defeat China 3–1, with Bruno Correa delivering a decisive hat trick. His goals in the 15th and 16th minutes set the tone before China’s Di Yanwei pulled one back. Correa struck again in the 51st minute to secure the win.

The result lifted Argentina to the top of Pool C with a +5 goal difference, ahead of New Zealand’s +3. Both teams finished with seven points.

“It was important to qualify for the quarter-finals, and the team is very happy,” said Matias Andreotti. “I think all the teams are hard to beat, as we saw in some of the other matches.”

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