Mission to defend the title failed: The German hockey men surprisingly missed a place in the final at the European Indoor Championships in Heidelberg.
The team of the national coach duo Jan-Philipp Rabente and Matthias Witthaus lost to Poland 3:4 (0:1) on Saturday evening and has to be content with the game for third place. The opponent on Sunday (1:15 p.m./MagentaSport) is Spain.
In the SNP Dome the final impact was missing in the semi-finals. The goals from Dieter-Enrique Linnekogel (24th), Sten Brandenstein (29th) and Anton Pöhling (37th) were not enough. Poland consistently took advantage of their chances through Gracjan Jarzynski (18th), Maksymilian Koperski (25th), Henryk Wolsztynski (26th) and Jacek Kurowski (31st).
A few hours earlier, the DHB team had achieved a flawless preliminary round record. The European champion narrowly prevailed in the prestigious duel against the Spaniards, who like the DHB team had previously won three times, 5:4 (4:2). Now there is a reunion because Spain lost the second semi-final against Austria (3:4 after a penalty shootout).
In the victory over the Spaniards, Pöhling (2nd) provided the perfect start in the power play for the Germans, who were dressed entirely in pink. Nicolas Proske (6th) followed up with a hit through his legs. Nik Kerner (7th/11th), son of television presenter Johannes B. Kerner, who has been so strong in the tournament so far, scored twice. In the second round, Pöhling (24th) ultimately kept the guests, who were not able to stop, at a distance.
Germany was considered one of the big favorites at the tournament. The DHB team won the last edition in Belgium in 2024, and in February 2025 the DHB team was also crowned indoor world champion.