Defending champs Belgium falter after leading 2-0BHUBANESWAR: For a few minutes, it felt like the only thing that existed for German coach Andre Henning was the corner of the goalpost that he was sitting on at the Kalinga stadium here.
As Mats Grambusch and his men did the champion dance and the brimming spectators celebrated wildly, the part-time motivational speaker and fulltime national coach, enjoyed his quiet moments an d allowed tears to roll down unashamedly.
He was quick to wipe them off, assuming none had spotted him in the corner. But the spotlight was on him as much as it was on his victor ious unit. The 39-year-old was a proud man, having watched most of the boys he coached at club-level become champion men. In a contest befitting a final, but not for the faint-hearted, Germany scripted a new chapter, dethroning Belgium to lift the FIH World Cup here on Sunday night.
After a late-goal from Belgian striker Tom Boon levelled the scores at 3-all, Germany held their nerves to come thr ough 5-4 in the shootout, which stretched into sudden death.
Hockey World Cup: Germany dash Belgium's hopes of title defence, clinch third title
In the knockout stage of the competition, Germany have made coming back from the brink a habit and it was no different in the final as they were 0-2 after the first quarter. But there were moments in the game when one thought Belgium would do aGermany on Germany, especially when Boon scored.
However, the Germans operated at a different level, beating the experience of the Belgians with their tactics in the shootouts. In the thirdconsecutive match, the Germans showcased unmatched resilience backed by their never-say-die attitude. They were slow off the blocks, scrappy in patches but knew how to wear out the Belgians.
The shootout was a saga of hits and misses after Thies Prinz and Wellen handed the Germans a 2-1 advantage with Flore nt van Aubel finding the mark for the holders. Germany's young shootoutspecialist goalkeeper JeanPaul Danneberg denied Victor Wegnez and Arthur de Sloover and it boiled down to Wellen to score the winner with the seasoned Vincent Vanasch in the goal. Wellen maintained his clean slate in the shootout to guide his team to the title, the y last won at home in 2006.
Wellen, who became a father during a pool match against Belgium, later said, "The last three weeks have been the most amazing of my life. I'm speechless."
The golden generation of Belgium, which won the previous edition at the same venue through shootout against the Netherlands, were left searching for the silver lining. While this is the third World title for the Die Honamas, it is the first major medal for the entire team, ushering a new era in German hockey.
Netherlands pip Australia, win bronzeBHUBANESWAR: The Netherlands, who endured a heartbreaking loss to Belgium in the semifinal, took home the bronze with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Australia. The Dutch did much of the running and possession, but it was Australia who went ahead with the prolific Jeremy Hayward penalty corner conversion in the 12th minute. This is the first time since 1998 that Australia are without a medal.
Result: Netherlands 2 (Jip Janssen 32; Thierry Brinkman 34, 39) bt Australia 1 (Jeremy Hayward 12).Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here Manuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, h...
Read MoreManuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, has dedicated over half of her 22-year journalism career to the publication. Specializing in
cricket and hockey, she has covered major sporting events including World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, and world championships in billiards and snooker.
Known for her compelling human-interest stories, she has traveled extensively across Karnataka to spotlight untold talent and their journeys. An internationally
published sportswriter and former national-level hockey player for Karnataka, Manuja is a true-blue Bengalurean who also writes on the city’s culture and life, blending deep reporting with a passion for storytelling.
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