For the first time in 17 years, the German hockey men have won the world title again. The DHB selection prevailed in the final against defending champion Belgium.
Germany is the world hockey champion 2023
In a nerve-wracking game, the German men's hockey team won the world championship for the first time in 17 years. In the final in Bhubaneswar, India, the DHB selection prevailed 5:4 in a penalty shoot-out against defending champion Belgium. In an exciting and hard-fought game, Niklas Wellen, Gonzalo Peilet and captain Mats Gramnbusch scored the goals for the hockey men. Having now won three World Cup titles, Germany, together with Australia and the Netherlands, is just behind record world champions India. “It's amazing that we're winning today. I'm speechless,” said Wellen, who was named Player of the Match. “It was a team effort from us. The fact that we came back three times in knockout games is not luck, it shows the quality, the mentality and the character of this team.”
The DHB team had already prevailed against England in the quarter-finals and against Australia in the semi-finals in tight games shortly before the end and in the penalty shoot-out. The game against Belgium was the second meeting between the two nations. Already in the group game in the preliminary round, an exciting game developed that ended 2:2. As in the first game, defending champions Belgium took the lead early on, this time even with a double strike. Florent van Aubel and Tanguy Cosyns scored within 60 seconds for the defending champion, but Germany didn't let the deficit deter them.
Comeback kings
The Germans were already able to beat England and Australia come from behind and it should be similar against Belgium. First, Tom Grabsch failed with a seven-meter throw at the experienced Belgian keeper Vincent Vanash. But the Krefeld top scorer waves with his seventh World Cup goal and Peillat met to equalize. Grabusch even put the DHB selection in the lead, but the Belgians were able to save themselves by equalizing again in the penalty shootout. There keeper Jean-Paul Danneberg became the hero of the day with three saved penalties and ensured Germany's third World Cup gold after 2002 and 2006.
mr/fl (dpa)