The German hockey women missed the bronze medal at the world championships. Against Australia, the DHB team gambled away the first precious metal in 24 years.
Tears fell at Nike Lorenz, and disappointment was also written all over their faces: For the German hockey women, the dream of the long-awaited World Cup medal has burst. The team of national coach Valentin Altenburg lost just one day after the bitter semi-final defeat in the game for third place in Terrassa, Spain, against Australia 1:2 (1:0) and thus missed the first World Cup medal in 24 years.
Record world champions Netherlands beat Argentina 3-1 (2-0) in the final with German Bonds coach Jamilon Mülders and won gold for the ninth time under the umbrella of the FIH.
Lena Micheel (13th) scored the goal for the selection of the German Hockey Association (DHB). Stephanie Kershaw (48th, 55th) was twice successful for Australia and secured the bronze medal for the two-time world champion. Germany last climbed the podium in 1998 in third place at a World Cup.
“We are very disappointed,” said Cecile Pieper after the game, even the 27-year-old couldn’t hold back her tears: “We played a great tournament, developed well. It’s very sad that we lost our last game .”
Less than 24 hours earlier, the DHB team had suffered a bitter 4-2 defeat in the penalty shootout against Argentina despite a strong performance in the semi-finals and thus narrowly missed the final.
Germany misses too many opportunities
The setback from the day before was initially not noticeable to the German players. Both teams started with speed. Shortly before the first quarter break, Micheel rewarded the DHB team after a pass from Hanna Granitzki. However, Germany did not use the following chances.
Australia rarely got close to their opponents’ goal. If the two-time world champion was looking for a way forward, the “Danas” defended consistently. The second half started turbulently, both goalkeepers had to intervene several times. Eventually Kershaw struck, equalizing and later scoring again.
Before the game, the German team had to digest the bitter defeat in the semifinals. “As a team we did our best tournament performance. Even if it feels like it hurts at the moment, it’s a very special moment,” Altenburg said after the dramatic failure in the semi-finals.
The German team fought their way to a 2-2 draw against feared opponents Argentina with a lot of passion on Saturday before the South Americans proved to have stronger nerves in the penalty shootout. The German players last managed to take part in the World Cup final in 1986.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, managed to defend their title with Mülders, former national coach of the German women, on the sidelines. Maria Verschoor (16th), Frederique Matla (23rd) and Felice Albers (35th) scored for the Olympic champion. Argentina missed the third gold medal after 2002 and 2010.