New Delhi: Australia were far from convincing in their 2-0 win over Spain in their Pool 'B' encounter of the Hero Hockey Junior World Cup here on Sunday , but two wins from two games ensured them of a quarterfinal berth.
They were later joined by France in the last-8, who beat Argentina 3-2 in an entertaining clash. The match was played at a fast pace, with both teams getting their fair share of chances. French goalkeeper Edgar Reynaud and his Argentinean counterpart Tomas Matias Santiago were kept bust throughtout. Reynaud, in particular, was the backbone of French win, withstanding waves of attacks from Argentina, who were in no mood to give up.
Emilio Perez Pesado put Argentina ahead in the 20th minute, but France found their way back with two quick goals from Pieter van Straaten and Theophile Ponthieu.
Argentina continued their charge and the game was left interestingly poised when skipper Gonzalo Peillat converted a penalty stroke at the 35minute mark, making it 2 2. The intense action con tinued after the change ends too, but it were France who found the lead in the 48th minute. Jean Laurent Kieffer sent a reverse hit inside the Argentinean net and the French kept the lead.
In Pool D, Malaysia scored a 2-1 victory over South Africa, while New Zealand pulled off a stunning 2-2 draw against England.
