Baumgarten: We proved everyone wrong by beating the favourites

THE French players can stand tall like their Eiffel Tower.

Although world No. 20 France are the lowest ranked team, they created the biggest upset in the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, by stunning world No. 2 and reigning Olympic champions Argentina 5-3 to finish runners-up in Group A to qualify for the second round on Thursday night.

France’s joy is world No. 9 Spain’s misery as the latter’s participation in the World Cup is over after they finished last in Group A with two points.

France are the youngest team in the World Cup with an average age of 24 and they also have four players who are teenagers.

Most of the players are students, non-professionals but they played their best match against Argentina in the tournament.

Timothee Clement is only 18 while Arthur Thieffry, Adrien Coffigniez amd Etienne Tynevez are 19.

France are featuring in the World Cup after a 28-year hiatus but they put their heart and soul into the game to pull off the unexpected win.

Midfielder Gaspard Baumgarten, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, was happy to show that they were not the whipping boys in the tournament.

“We proved everyone wrong by beating the favourites.

“The win is a big boost for us and we hope to impress our fans further by making an impact in the World Cup ,” said Baumgarten.

He said hockey is not a popular sport in France unlike football.

“There are not many hockey players. So, reaching the second round is a good achievement, our aim is to break into top 10 in the world by next year,” he said.

“We have not featured in the Olympics for a very long time and we hope to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

And he has an advice for other lower- ranked teams, including Malaysia.

“Play with true grit,” said Baumgarten.