India, Dec. 6 -- Seven-time champions Germany had to dig deep to keep their hopes of title defence alive as they progressed into the semifinals of the FIH Men's Junior World Cup, edging out a gutsy France 3-1 in shoot-out after both the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time here on Friday. In the 2023 edition, seven-time champions Germany eked out a narrow 2-1 win over France in the final to claim the title.

In the shoot-out, Jonas von Gersum, Justus Warweg and Lukas Kossel, who scored from a penalty stroke, were the goal getters for Germany, while France's lone strike in the shoot-out came from Aristide Michaelis. All credit goes to German goalie Jasper Ditzer, who produced a superlative show, not just in the shoot-out but...