Tournament in India: hockey team after a penalty shootout in the World Cup semifinals

Tournament in India
Hockey team after penalty shootout in World Cup semifinals

Marco Miltkau (r) in a duel with England’s David Goodfield. photo

© Frank Uijlenbroek/dpa

After 13 years, another World Cup semi-final: Germany’s hockey men now meet Australia after a thriller.

The players buried Jean-Paul Danneberg among themselves and national hockey coach André Henning hugged his reserve goalkeeper warmly.

The young German goalkeeper secured his team’s first place in a World Cup semi-final since 2010 with two saves from penalties was enough,” said the keeper of German champions Rot-Weiss Köln after the 4-3 penalty shoot-out against England.

The DHB selection will meet three-time world champion Australia in the round of the last four teams in India on Friday (12:00 p.m. / DAZN). “I’m so proud of the team and fortunately we have a goalkeeper like Jean-Paul,” said Germany captain Mats Grambusch, who has led his already-worn-out team to an incredible comeback. “Nobody believed in us anymore. The boys stayed clear and calm and played their best hockey under pressure. What a great mentality,” said the national coach.

Great performance by the Grambusch brothers

Four minutes before the end of the game, the German team was already out of the tournament after being 2-0 down against the defensively strong English team, especially since Christopher Ruhr shot a seven-meter shot into the crossbar and thus missed the goal. Then came the grand entrance of the Grambusch brothers. First Captain Mats scored to make it 1:2 (57th minute) and thus inflicted the English team’s first goal of the tournament. Then his brother Tom kept his nerve and a minute later converted a penalty kick to make it 2-2 (58th). In this phase, Henning had taken his goalkeeper off the field in favor of another field player.

And the national coach also had the right instinct to nominate Danneberg for the penalty shoot-out. Niklas Wellen, Hannes Müller, Thies Prinz and Ruhr converted their seven-meter shots, the 21-year-old German keeper mastered the last and decisive one from England’s Liam Ansell and thus gave his team the leap into the next round. “We said we want to be a tournament team. That’s how I imagine it,” said Henning.

dpa

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