New Delhi, Dec 10 (NationPress) Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, has commended the Indian men's junior hockey team for achieving a remarkable bronze medal at the FIH Men's Junior World Cup 2025 in Chennai. The team triumphed over Argentina with a score of 4-2 during the third-place playoff on Wednesday.

In a message shared on X, previously known as Twitter, Dr. Mandaviya expressed that the bronze medal showcases the #ChakDeIndia spirit still thriving!

"I am immensely proud of our junior athletes for making history with their inaugural bronze medal by defeating Argentina in a thrilling match. Congratulations, Team India!" Dr. Mandaviya stated in his post, which included a video of the Indian team, coached by two-time Olympic bronze medallist PR Sreejesh, celebrating their monumental achievement.

The match held at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai saw the hosts stage an incredible comeback, netting four goals in just eleven minutes to secure the third position in the tournament.

Ankit Pal (49’), Manmeet Singh (52’), Shardanand Tiwari (57’), and Anmol Ekka (58’) scored for India after Nicolas Rodriguez (3’) and Santiago Fernandez (44’) had put the visitors in the lead.

This marks the first-ever bronze medal for India, following the team's previous wins of two golds (2001, 2016) and one silver (1997), and a missed bronze in 2005 against Spain.

In celebration of this historic victory, Hockey India has announced a reward of INR 5 lakh for each player and INR 2.5 lakh for the support staff.

During the match, India started strong, attempting to penetrate the Argentine defense. However, they initially fell behind when Nicolas Rodriguez (3’) converted a penalty stroke. Despite a robust response, India couldn't score until after halftime, even as Argentina extended their lead in the 44th minute. India achieved an astonishing turnaround, scoring four goals from the 49th to the 58th minute to clinch a memorable win.