GERMANY has won the Junior World Cup four times, while it was a good 24 years ago when the Netherlands last made the finals, but the odds heavily favour the Dutch, who have a penalty corner machine with them for the Ninth Edition.Pakistan (1979), Australia (1997), India (2001), Argentina (2005) and Germany (1982, 1985, 1989, 1993), are the only five countries that have tasted glory since the tournament was incepted.
And it was the Germans who denied Netherlands the title in 1985, in Vancouver, Canada. But if 20-year-old Mink van der Weerden is on form again, the Dutch will join the ilustrious list of Junior World Cup champions.
Mink is currently the top-scorer with 12 penalty corner goals, and even German skipper Martin Häner admitted that only two things could snatch the title away from their grips.
"One is a flash of brilliance from the Dutch, and the other is Mink. We must make sure that we give him the least opportunities because he is deadly during penalty corners," said Haner.
The German skipper said his team-mates have been at their best so far, and he is confident they will perform again as a team in the final.
"We have four titles and will be going for our fifth. I have full confidence on my team-mates to deliver again," said Haner.
And the skipper has some good words to say agout their youngest player, 17-year-old Florian Fuchs who scored two goals against Australia in the semi-finals, which included the sudden-death match winner.
"Fuchs is simply awsome with the ball and he executes training drills just as well during matches. And when he beat one Australian defender, and then the goalkeeper but the ball moved to a narrow angle, I knew he was going to score even before he took the hit that took us into the final," said Haner.
The Germans have history on their side, while the Dutch will be out to create history, so the crowd can expect some excellent hockey on Sunday at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru.
