Wavre, Belgium: Reigning champions Germany defended their World Cup men’s hockey title by riding Michel Struthoff’s opportunistic field goal to subdue the Spanish challenge in the final at the Belfius Hockey Arena.
Struthoff picked a defence-splitting cross from Hugo von Montgelas inside the circle in the 43rd minute and went across the goalmouth as he sidestepped Spanish goalkeeper Luis Calzado and flicked in to break the deadlock.
The Germans were defending the title they won by defeating Belgium in the 2023 final in Bhubaneswar, clinching the World Cup for the fourth time in six appearances in the title encounter. Germany first appeared in the final in 1982 in Bombay (now Mumbai) when it featured as West Germany.
For Spain, this was the third time they had made the final without clinching the title. Their previous appearances in the final were in 1971, when they hosted the inaugural World Cup in Barcelona, and then in 1998 at the Dutch city of Utrecht.
It was the German defence that stood its ground in the title encounter against Spain’s all-out attacking game which had dashed the challenge of the Netherlands in the semi-finals. Germany once again produced the same brand of solid defence that had stifled the challenge from Argentina in their semi-final. Argentina prevailed 2-1 over the Netherlands to earn the bronze medal, their second in World Cup history.
Spain’s open attacking brand of hockey meant they had an edge in territorial dominance, but German counters were always posing a threat to the rival goal.
The contest featured repeated counter-attacks from end to end, especially with the Spanish playing an attacking game that conceded plenty of space for Germany to quickly switch play to the two strikers who stayed in the rival territory.
Germany got into the act by forcing a penalty corner in the second minute, but Benedikt Schwarzhaupt’s drag-flick was easily padded away by Spanish goalkeeper Luis Calzado.
Spain retaliated with their own penalty corner in the ninth minute, which was awarded when Nicolas Alvarez broke into the circle from the left, only for his shot to hit a defender’s foot. The penalty corner flick was blocked by the first German rusher, who quickly released the ball for a counter-attack to put the Spanish goal under threat. German captain Tom Grambusch sent a diagonal ball into the circle, but Justus Weigand’s deflection went wide of the right post.
The packed German scoring zone saw two Spanish raids fail to produce a goal despite fine work to get into the circle, but a fine reverse shot from Borja Lacalle saw goalkeeper Jen-Paul Danneberg come into the picture by padding the ball away. There were five other German defenders in the circle at that moment, but they remained composed even as Lacalle made space for his shot.
Just two minutes before half-time, the Spanish citadel came under sustained pressure with two shots at the goal, but in the end Johannes Grobe’s ball went across the goalmouth with striker Struthoff unable to connect.
Spain’s Pol Cabre Verdiell was obstructed on top of the circle for their second penalty corner in the 39th minute, but the drag-flick by captain Marc Miralles went wide of the target.
Germany surged into the lead just before the end of the third quarter when von Montgelas’s pass went to Struthoff in the scoring zone and he stayed composed while dribbling across to side-step the custodian before flicking in for what turned out to be the all-important goal.
Spain came back strongly in search of the equaliser, forcing two successive penalty corners, but Pepe Cunill was not able to penetrate the German defensive wall. German rusher Teo Hinrichs was struck on the leg and was assisted off the pitch in the first of Cunill’s shots.
Spain went all out in attack in the last quarter, but it just was not their day. Jose Basterra’s 50th-minute shot at the goal was blocked by the German custodian and Pol Cabre Verdiell’s cross went waste as no striker was in the goalmouth to deflect it in.
The Spaniards even played without a goalkeeper for the last three minutes of play, adding an extra player to their attack, but the famed German defence would not allow any leeway in the dying stages when the title was within their sight.
Earlier, Argentina’s men won their second World Cup medal, emulating the feat of 2014 at The Hague by prevailing 2-1 against the Netherlands in the play-off for the third spot.
Livewire striker Tomas Domene opened the account for the Argentines with a fine field goal in the 40th minute, only to see Floris Midendorp equalise for The Netherlands through a penalty corner conversion in the 48th minute.
Argentina’s winning goal came two minutes before close when Matias Rey converted their sixth and final penalty corner. By comparison, the Dutch forced three penalty corners and were able to capitalise on one.