EHL: Quartet of EHL-bound players medal at the Men’s World Junior Championships

Hamburger Polo Club’s Lukas Kossel and Johann Wehnert are on top of the world as they helped Germany win the Men’s Junior World Cup for the eighth time when they defeated first-time finalists Spain in Chennai on Wednesday.

They defeated a Spanish side featuring Andrés Medina and Diego Palomero from Club de Campo de Madrid, making it a quartet of stars from this stage who are likely to feature at next Easter’s EHL FINALS in Den Bosch.

A tense normal time ended 1-1 before Jasper Ditzer’s goalkeeping skills took the final laurels for Germany in the shoot-out.

The teams’ nervousness was evident from the start as Spain battled for their first title in their first final, while Germany looked to defend their crown.

Both teams’ focus was more on their defense, especially Germany after taking the lead in the 26^e minute by Justus Warweg’s field goal.

But Spain managed to break the German fortress three minutes after half-time as Nicolas Mustaros helped his side draw level at 1-1.

In the shoot-out, Germany were the ones to hold their nerves, with Benedikt Geyer, Alec von Schwerin and Ben Hasbach scoring, while Ditzer held off a trio of Spanish efforts for a 3-2 success.

“Spain made it incredibly difficult for us and we did not have the best of our days in possession and in transition moments,” said German coach Mirko Stenzel after the title win.

“But the guys always believed we could win in the shootout, and we did that.

“It feels great, overwhelming too. We haven’t really thought about the seven previous titles.

“We’re just celebrating the current one. Incredibly proud of the boys, who are coming back from probably not the best matches during this tournament or this year.”