2023 World Cup of Hockey: Germany beat Belgium 5-4 on penalties to claim third title
With the win, Germany also robbed Belgium of a chance to win back-to-back titles in the showpiece event. Pakistan, Australia and Germany have won consecutive titles in the past.
After winning the title in 2018 at the same stadium in Kalinga, Belgium – who reached the world’s top flight just a decade ago – were looking to achieve the feat. But the Germans made a stunning comeback from a two-goal deficit to equalize first in regulation time and later win on penalties in a thrilling final. Germany eventually won 5-4 in a sudden death in front of a crowded stadium.
Niklas Wellen (29th), Gonzalo Peillat (41st) and captain Mats Grambusch (48th) scored for Germany in regulation time while Florent van Aubel Florent (10th), Tanguy Cosyns (11th) and Tom Boon (59th) found the target for Belgium. .
It was the third time in the tournament that Germany had won after leading 0-2 and their mental toughness and never-saying attitude came back to the fore as they denied the Belgians a title defense.
The first two matches were against England in the quarter-finals and Australia in the semi-finals.
Germany joined Australia and the Netherlands in winning the World Cup title three times. Their previous triumphs came in 2002 and 2006. Only Pakistan have won the event four times.
A day before the summit clash, head coach Andre Henning said Germany had focused heavily on their defense but a two-minute Belgian blitzkrieg left them in a daze.
Van Aubel gave Belgium the lead in the 10th minute. The ball deflected and went up inside the German ‘D’. Aubel jumped in the air and smashed it into the German goal.
Even before the packed crowd had barely calmed down after the opening goal, Cosyns made it 2-0 by dropping to one knee and tapping in an Antoine Kina cross from the left.
Germany took a dismissal for a back stick, but the video referee ruled against them.
Belgium could have led 3-0 in the first minute of the second quarter had it not been for German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler who brilliantly fended off a shot from Gauthier Boccard on a penalty corner variation.
Germany had the golden opportunity to pull one back in the 19th minute, but Tom Grambusch wasted a penalty kick and Vincent Vanasch made a superb save. Considered the best goalkeeper in the world, Vanasch, 35, correctly predicted Grambusch’s powerful shot headed into the right corner. The ball deflected off Vanasch’s stick and hit the post.
The Germans who never say they die cut the deficit two minutes before the break as Wellen hit on a penalty corner variation.
Trailing 1-2 at half-time, Germany had a chance to restore par in the 40th minute when Hannes Muller’s shot was deflected towards the Belgian goal by Marco Mailtkau, but an alert Vanasch sent it back safely.
The Germans continued to press and equalized in the 41st minute when corner expert Peillat, who had scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals, rang in the table to make it 2-2.
The game then turned around when captain Mats Grambusch gave Germany the lead for the first time in the game three minutes into the fourth quarter after a pass exchange with Thies Prinz.
Prinz sent in a defensive pass after receiving the ball from Grambusch and it looked like the German captain wouldn’t be able to reach the ball. But Grambusch pulled off a smashing overhand kick that went through Vanasch’s legs into the German goal. It was one of the rare occasions when Vanasch finished second in a duel.
(With PTI inputs)
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2023 World Cup of Hockey: Netherlands beat Australia 3-1 to claim bronze
