The German hockey women suffered their first defeat in the semi-finals of all places at the European Championships at home. The dream of gold has burst.
Angrily, Nike Lorenz threw her racket into the goal, and a little later the captain and her teammates shed big tears of disappointment.
Because the successful run of the German hockey women ended abruptly, the team of national coach Valentin Altenburg missed the final at the home European Championship in Mönchengladbach after a bitter 0: 1 (0: 1) against Belgium.
“In the last few years we always felt we were missing that little bit of luck in the playoffs,” said Lorenz, who also felt “anger”. “The grief is very great,” said Altenburg. His team “did it well in many ways”, but “the fact that we go out here without a goal is frankly unsatisfactory” and “it really annoys me”.
The selection of the German Hockey Association (DHB), which had kept a clean slate up to the semi-finals, now meets group opponents England again after the first bankruptcy of the tournament in the bronze game on Saturday (12.15 p.m.).
Early shock for German hockey women
With her early goal, Emily White (2nd) destroyed German hopes for the first European Championship gold since 2013 and the associated early ticket for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The DHB team had previously mastered the group stage with three wins in three games and without conceding a goal.
The Belgians still have a chance of winning the title, however, and will meet the defending champions, the Netherlands, in the final on Saturday (2:45 p.m.).
The world champion and Olympic champion beat England 7-0 (0-0) in the first semifinals at the Gladbach Hockey Park.
Belgium is “on a completely different level than our group”, Altenburg had warned in advance of the fifth in the world rankings. In the semi-finals, his team need “a moment of glory”. But White shocked German women early on. A long ball overturned the entire DHB defense, the Belgian effortlessly hit the right corner and gave the German selection their first goal in the tournament.
Germany found it difficult to get into the game, instead Belgium became dangerous again and again. Charlotte Stapenhorst missed a good chance to equalize after a penalty corner.
DHB team does not score
The “Danas” got into the game better and better, but were initially unable to assert themselves decisively in front of the opposing goal. On the other hand, goalkeeper Julia Sonntag made a powerful save in the second quarter to prevent White from scoring another goal.
Even after the half-time break, Germany could hardly find any solutions against the compact Belgian defence, but only allowed a few in front of their own goal. In the last quarter, it was one after the other, Germany exerted constant pressure, but without success.
The German hockey men will fight for a place in the final on Friday (9:00 p.m.). The world champion, who, like the German women, had qualified for the semi-finals as the first in their group, will meet England, fifth in the world rankings.