Santiago: The ninth day of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in Santiago delivered several decisive moments across the classification pathways, with the United States and Germany securing their places in the fifth-place play-off after narrow but authoritative wins over England and Australia. India also progressed in the race for ninth position following a shoot-out victory against Uruguay, while Spain held firm in a 1–0 performance against Japan.
In the remaining fixtures, Ireland opened the day with a win over Korea to position themselves within the 9–16 sequence, and Wales capitalised on their strongest showing of the tournament to overcome South Africa and advance to the play-off for 13th place. The day combined tactical closures, low scoring margins and strong defensive presences in the decisive phases. On Wednesday, the semi-finals will begin, with Netherlands–Belgium at 15.45 and Argentina–China at 18.00, both at the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped within the Estadio Nacional.
