Germany’s hockey men have taken the first step towards Olympic qualification.
At the start of the group phase, the well-rounded world champion easily won against Canada 9-0 (4-0). At the eight-man tournament in Muscat, Oman, third place is enough for the German Hockey Association’s (DHB) favorite selection to take part in the summer games.
Gonzalo Peillat after penalty corners (2nd/36th), returnees Christophertreib (9th, penalty corner/34th), Raphael Hartkopf (12th/16th), Marco Miltkau (37th), Niklas Wellen (56th) and Tom Grambusch (penalty corner/58th) scored the never-endangered success against overwhelmed Canadians, who will also be Olympians in 2021. Before the further preliminary round games against New Zealand (Tuesday/1.15 p.m.) and Chile (Thursday/11 a.m.), national coach Andre Henning’s team took the lead in Group B.
In front of a manageable backdrop, Germany tied for 17th place in the world rankings. in their own half from the start. In particular, the offensive around top striker and World Cup MVP Wellen came into their own and scored several impressive goals.
Successful qualification is considered a must for the team, which surprisingly won the World Cup title at the beginning of 2023. Germany missed their first chance to get a ticket to Paris in August – they only managed a disappointing fourth place at the home European Championships in Mönchengladbach.
The German women are currently also fighting for their Paris ticket in Ranchi, India. With four points from two games, coach Valentin Altenburg’s team is on track despite the annoying 1-1 draw against Japan on Sunday.