KUALA LUMPUR: Florian Sperling is fast becoming the most feared forward in international hockey.
Today, the 20-year-old German played a pivotal role by scoring two goals in his team's 10-0 thrashing of Egypt in a Junior World Cup (JWC) Group B match at National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil.
Sperling's stellar performance earned him the well-deserved man-of-the-match — his second in the tournament.
He found the back of the net in the 10th and 25th minutes, contributing significantly to his team's emphatic win.
Sperling's efforts were complemented by teammate Nikas Verendts, who netted a hat-trick in the 14th, 50th, and 58th minutes.
Liam Holdermann (17th and 22nd minutes), Jakob Brilla (19th), Michel Struthoff (32nd), and Paul Glander (42nd) also added to the goal tally.
Germany, who finished second in the group with six points behind France, will face Group A champions Argentina in the quarter-finals — a repeat of the 2021 final which the South American team won 4-2.
"My idol is Dutch international Jeroen Hertzberger, and I aspire to be a top striker like him. I aim to consistently perform well in every match," said Sperling, who has scored three goals in the tournament.
Touching on the team's performance, Germany coach Rein van Eijk said: "Our focus was to maintain a high match tempo, and overall, we executed our game plan well."