European champions Germany: “That was a hell of a ride”

In hockey , triumph and sorrow are often separated by mere millimeters and fractions of a second. This was also the case on Saturday evening in the European Championship final at Mönchengladbach's Hockey Park: Justus Weigand scored a goal from the arc with a whisker from the crease line to give Germany a 1-1 equalizer with a quarter of an hour remaining. Had he hit the ball just a few millimeters outside the arc, the goal would not have counted. Then the German hockey players would not have had to make the penalty shootout against the superior Dutch, in which Dutchman Jorrit Croon's goal was disallowed only because the eight-second time limit for the shot had expired by a fraction of a second. Both cases had to be reviewed by the video referee using slow motion.

German precision and the Dutch seconds' delay ultimately contributed to Germany winning the European Championship final 4-1 in a penalty shootout, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. After twelve years and for the ninth time overall, the German men's hockey team are European champions again. Had the Dutch won, they would have equaled Germany's record with their eighth European Championship title. As it was, national coach André Henning's team extended its record of European Championship titles. Henning was overwhelmed, but after the dramatic final with all the close calls, he had his own description for this title win: "That was a hell of a ride."

Two years ago, the German men's hockey team missed out on a medal at the European Championships in Mönchengladbach, finishing fourth. A year ago, they lost the final of the Olympic Games in Paris to the Netherlands in a penalty shootout. The fact that the next European Championship was being held in Mönchengladbach again due to a lack of other contenders gave the German team the chance to rehabilitate itself thanks to home advantage. And they seized it. With their final victory, they avenged their Olympic final defeat against the Dutch national team near the Dutch border. And they gave their team captain Mats Grambusch the perfect send-off after a 14-year career with the national team.

Mats Grambusch is one of the most important players in German hockey. In Mönchengladbach, where it all began, the captain aims to cap off his international career with a European Championship title.

The 32-year-old Mönchengladbach player was named the tournament's best player. German penalty corner specialist Gonzalo Peillat received the trophy for best scorer, scoring six goals. Only German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg was denied the award for best goalkeeper. That award went to Frenchman Corentin Saunier.

Danneberg, too, would have deserved the award. He had repeatedly kept his team in the game throughout the European Championship week and, in the final, even saved the penalty shot from the second Dutch scorer, Thijs van Dam. Danneberg was named "Man of the Match" for the final. For the tournament as a whole, however, he was happy to be overwhelmed by the atmosphere in the always-packed hockey park and to call this national team the "best team I've ever played for." However, the Darmstadt native is only 22 years old.

Germany is now both world and European champion

Team captain Grambusch is ten years older when he leaves the national team, and it's not because of his retirement that he let a few drops of water in the wine after the celebrated victory in the final. Grambusch always speaks his mind. "To be honest, I thought it was a weak game from us," he said. "I thought Holland was much stronger both defensively and offensively." He was pleased that the German team, despite this, consistently tried to find solutions. "We were a bit lucky with the equalizer, but the penalty shootout was outstanding, both from the shooters and the goalkeeper." Grambusch also found his award as the best player of the European Championship flattering: "I don't see it as me being the best player here."

The jubilation, the pleasant melancholy, and a long night of partying didn't in the slightest detract from the honest assessment of the balance of power in the final. The outcome of the final truly redefined the roles among the hockey elite, as this 2025 European Championship final featured the ultimate duel between the 2023 world champions (Germany) and the 2024 Olympic champions (Netherlands). The European Championship, actually the smallest of the three titles, thus became an XXL summit, and the German players once again conquered it by way of their beloved "mountain of frustration": For the third time at this European Championship, they fell behind in the final and had to fight back for 20 minutes. "For me, this European Championship title is top of the line," said national coach Henning proudly. "To be both world and European champions at the same time, that constellation is rare."

It was important to Henning to clearly define the significance of the evening: "This is one of the greatest moments in our sporting lives, to win a spectacular final with such a history in front of such an enthusiastic home crowd, with a victory in a penalty shootout after two really tough shootout losses in the European Championship semifinal against England two years ago and in the Olympic final against the Netherlands last year." Unlike football teams often do, the hockey players aren't flying off to a sunny island in the Mediterranean at short notice to party. They're looking forward to the invitation from Sporthilfe to the traditional "Club of the Best" from October 5th to 10th at the "Aldiana Club Ampflwang" in Austria.

They'll also be making plans there. The 2026 World Cup will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands. The 2027 European Championship will be held in England, with twelve nations competing for the first time. But the national coach is thinking even further ahead. The 2028 Olympic Games will be in Los Angeles. "Olympic gold," says Henning, "is the last title we're missing."