When the last step of this tournament was completed, the exhaustion prevented any real ecstasy from setting in. But the cheering mood of the German men increased as soon as they could breathe again after a highly intense final that brought them the biggest possible reward of the hockey summer: world champions!
The selection of the German Hockey Association beat Spain 1-0 in the final. "I'm very speechless, I can't even realize it yet. The fact that it has turned out this way is unbelievable," Justus Weigand told the TV station Magenta. The goal for the gold medal was not scored by the official striker, but by 23-year-old Michel Struthoff (44th minute). One of the youngsters in the team who played a major role in the “dream trip of the past few weeks” (national coach André Henning).
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Defending like world champions and being efficient in attack – that was the mix that brought the German team to another peak in the Wavre stadium.
The German men crowned their famous series of successes, which began in 2023, with the successful defense of their World Cup title in Belgium on Sunday evening. Since then, the DHB selection has become world champion twice, European champion once and Olympic silver medalist once. With the fourth World Cup title in their history, the Germans have now drawn level with record world champions Pakistan.
Mentality marathon and masterpiece
This time the German men overcame the Spaniards, against whom they suffered their only defeat during the tournament, in an immensely tough struggle. It was just as complex for the German men in the semi-final against Argentina on Friday evening. The 2-1 win, said national coach Henning, who often creates his own words, was “a mentality marathon” that the team managed with “a masterful performance”.
Henning described the fourth final participation in a major tournament in a row since 2023 as “outstanding and also somewhat surprising”. It was based on perfectly coordinated “axles” on the field; the strong ability to overcome pressure situations and bad phases in the team; undoubtedly a lot of individual class, but at the same time also a very successful integration of the young World Cup debutants (six participants are 23 years old or younger), which played a decisive role in the successful game in the tournament.
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At this championship, the DHB selection was characterized by always being “fully there” – and successful – when it mattered most. For example, in the preliminary round against Belgium (1:0) and the intermediate round against Australia (4:2). On the other hand, the team fell well short of their maximum performance when they didn't have to, i.e. when it wasn't absolutely necessary for their progress: in the preliminary round against France (1:1) and in the first duel against the strong Spaniards (1:2) in the second round.
The renewed meeting in the final in Wavre started fast and energetically with some offensive scenes on both sides. Both teams had a penalty corner early in the match, which the defenses knew how to defuse. In the second quarter, German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg was quick to respond to a backhand shot from the Spaniards (25'), and the Germans, in turn, had promising chances on counterattacks.
It was a first half at a high level. The German team initially couldn't maintain this in the third quarter. The Iberians, in a World Cup final for the first time in 28 years and previously victorious in the tournament against the two hosts Belgium and the Netherlands, were now clearly in control of the game. But if there was one thing the Germans could rely on in this tournament, it was their defense. And their efficiency in attack. Struthoff's opening goal, worked out with top-class technical skill, came as a surprise (44th minute). The Germans also survived a Spanish penalty corner shortly before the last half-time break unscathed.
The final section began with strong attacks on both sides. After a double chance from Justus Weigand and Struthoff, the Spaniards came in front of the German goal after a nice combination and forced keeper Danneberg to do another strong act. The German defensive artists even survived the Iberians' final offensive with a touch of calm hard-nosedness. Then little by little the great exuberance followed.
