India's aspiration to reclaim the FIH Men's Junior World Cup after a nine-year gap was dashed on Sunday as they suffered a 1-5 defeat against the seven-time champions and current title holders, Germany, in the semifinal held in Chennai. The last time India triumphed in the Junior World Cup was in 2016 in Lucknow. The relentless Germans found the net through Lukas Kossel (14th, 30th minutes), Titus Wex (15th), Jonas von Gersum (40th), and Ben Hasbach (49th). India managed to score once in the 51st minute with a penalty corner conversion by Anmol Ekka.

Looking ahead, India will face Argentina for the bronze medal on Wednesday, while Germany is set to clash with Spain in the final. Earlier, Spain had secured their place in the final by defeating Argentina 2-1 in the first semifinal.

A tough

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