KARACHI, 10 July 2005 — Defending champions India squandered a 2-0 lead and fell to Australia 2-3 in the semifinals of the Junior World Cup in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Friday night.

India failed to capitalize on first half goals from their promising striker Tushar Khandekar and short corner marksman Sandeep Singh as Australia produced three second half goals to enter the final.

They would meet Argentina in the title match today. The South Americans toppled top seed Spain 2-1 thanks to a golden goal by Pedro Ibarra. Australia’s half time position was perilous after they went to the break trailing 2-0 and struggling against the waves of Indian counterattacks.

However, the tide began to turn in the second half and when Des Abbott smashed a penalty corner variation into the backboard in the 42nd minute, the resurgent Australians scored twice more in the next 12 minutes to grab the lead and hold on fiercely to their hard-won advantage. Prolific striker Colin Hennessy was again the talisman for Australia with his brace of goals from a penalty stroke and penalty corner edging his team in front and headed to the final. Hennessy’s stroke was calmly slotted into the left corner after wrong footing Indian goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza.

Earlier, Argentina was the first team into the final when Pedro Ibarra scored a golden goal in the sixth minute of extra time for a 2-1 victory.

Spain looked the likely winners throughout the first half as their defense denied Argentina space in attack and took a 1-0 lead into half time. Captain David Alegre gave Spain the lead in the 23rd minute when the Argentine defense allowed him too much time from a penalty corner and he picked his spot expertly for a 1-0 lead.

However, Argentina gained the advantage before finally breaking down the Spanish defense with a series of one-touch passes to level the match with Lucas Rossi scoring a captain’s goal of his own in the 54th minute. After neither team could break the deadlock by the end of regulation time, Argentina struck in extra time as the ball found Ibarra on the right edge of the circle.

He steadied, took the ball toward the back line and threaded his shot through the advancing Spanish goalkeeper.