The German hockey women are playing for the hat-trick of titles at the European Indoor Championships in Prague. The selection of indoor national coach Erik Koppenhöfer dramatically won the semi-final against Spain 3-2 after a penalty shootout.
After 40 minutes the score was 5:5 (1:3). In the final on Sunday (2.40 p.m./MagentaSport), Germany will face the world number one Austria or the Czech Republic.
Captain Fenja Poppe converted the decisive penalty. Spain had previously scored what was supposed to be the winning goal, but the referee team took the goal back.
In regular time, Germany turned around a 2-4 deficit in the last quarter, but conceded the equalizer shortly before the end.
On Saturday morning, the Germans had averted elimination thanks to a furious comeback in the decisive preliminary round game for advancement against Belgium (5:3 after being 0:3 down at halftime). Now the selection of the German Hockey Association (DHB) is playing for its 18th European Championship gold; the record European champions had triumphed in the last two tournaments. A German women’s team only missed a medal in 2016 and 2020.
In the first European Championship competition of the year, the German men’s team had only finished fourth in the “home game” in Heidelberg a week ago.
