KUALA LUMPUR: The national junior hockey squad had to settle for an eighth-place finish in their 2021 Junior World Cup (JWC) campaign, after being thrashed 1-4 by Spain in Bhubaneswar, India today.

In the seventh/eighth place match at the Kalinga Stadium, Malaysia began brightly, with a goal by team captain Mohamad Akimullah Anuar stunning Spain in the fourth minute.

However, Spain quickly equalised through Eduard De Ignacio-Simo's field goal three minutes later, and both teams remained tied until the final quarter.

Spain, who won bronze in the 2005 edition, however, pulled through with three penalty corners, namely from Pau Cunill (49th and 58th minutes) and Pepe Cunill (55th minute).

Mohamad Akimullah said his side had done their best, but Spain made the most of their opportunities to score.

"For me, the performances of all the players had improved in this game, but we still need to improvise further. We managed to create many chances, but failed to convert them into goals," he said during an interview with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) after the match.

Malaysia advanced to the quarterfinals as runners-up of Group A, after beating Chile 2-1 on Nov 24 before being tied 1-1 with Belgium (Nov 26) and beating South Africa 4-3 on Nov 27.

However, in the knockout stage, Malaysia was beaten 4-0 by France in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (Dec 1), before being thumped 9-3 by the Netherlands in the fifth-eighth place match on Friday (Dec 3).

Malaysia's best achievement in the Junior World Cup has been finishing fourth, which they have done thrice, namely in 1979, 1982 and 2013.

Wallace's men will now set their eyes on the next JWC to be held in Malaysia in 2023, the fourth time the country will be hosting it since 1982.

-- BERNAMA