- Wild scenes after silver: men's hockey loses finals
First, the German men's hockey team lost the gold, then the Netherlands lost their nerve. After winning in the penalty shootout, goal scorer Duco Telgenkamp provoked German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg by placing his index finger over his mouth, and Niklas Wellens got into a scuffle with several Dutch players. Before the final against their arch-rivals, Danneberg had claimed, "the Dutch have real fear."
In the end, the Dutch celebrated a 3:1 (1:1, 0:0) penalty shootout victory against the German world champions in the Stade Yves-du-Manoir in the northwest of Paris, watched by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Twelve years after their last Olympic triumph in London, the German team had set out to win again in France. After the disappointment of finishing fourth three years ago in Tokyo, they finally won their first medal since 2016.
Thierry Brinkman (46th minute) put the Netherlands ahead in the northwest of Paris, and Thies Prinz (50th) quickly equalized. In the penalty shootout, captain Brinkman, Thijs van Dam, and Telgenkamp secured the win for the Dutch. Justus Weigand scored for Germany.
In the preliminary round, Germany had beaten the Netherlands.
The overall eighth Olympic final for a German men's team started cautiously on both sides. Only after ten minutes did Germany come close to the Dutch goal with a sharp pass from Christopher Rühr, but they couldn't capitalize. The Dutch also struggled to create good chances in the first quarter. Instead, both teams focused on playing compact and securely.
The German team had often managed this on their way to the final. They had qualified for the knockout round as group winners with four wins from five games, conceding few goals. Their victories against Argentina in the quarterfinals and India in the semifinals (both 3:2) were dramatic. The Dutch had an easier time against Spain in the semifinals (4:0) but had lost to Germany 0:1 in the preliminary round.
At the start of the second quarter, Scholz took his seat on the halfway line. The SPD politician was making his first visit to the Paris Games to watch hockey and was protected by his bodyguards on the tribune among the VIPs. The Chancellor watched as the Dutch gradually gained more possession but Germany earned the first penalty corner. Neither team scored before the break.
The second half started slowly. Thousands of Dutch fans on the tribunes cheered on the European champions with "Holland" chants - and they had reason to celebrate soon after the final quarter began. A small mistake in defense allowed Brinkman to score the 1:0, but goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg made a brilliant save to prevent the second goal. Almost immediately, Prinz equalized with a powerful shot after a penalty corner.
Men and boys from both teams showcased their hockey skills during the intense match. Despite Germany's victory in the preliminary round, the Dutch men emerged victorious in the penalty shootout, securing their places among the boys who made history with their Olympic triumph.
