INDIA: In a closely contested match, England and Germany drew 2-2 in their quarterfinal FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup match before going down 4-3 in penalty shootouts. The game was filled with drama and tension as both teams fought for a spot in the semifinals.
Germany vs England
The match began with Germany snatching ball possession from England in the first few minutes.
However, England’s defence was able to hold off the German attack and maintain its record of not conceding a goal in the tournament. The first quarter ended with ENG leading 1-0, with a goal from Wallace.
The second quarter saw Germany’s Hinrichs and Grambusch leading the attack, but they could not break through England’s man-to-man marking. The England team made it hard for Germany to adapt and maintain possession of the ball.
However, in the final minutes of the first half, Germany earned a penalty corner, and Sorsby was able to stop it. The third quarter saw Germany earn another penalty corner, but Payne saved Peillat’s flick.
On the other hand, England earned two consecutive penalty corners, but the increased reaction time by the England flickers made it easy for the German defenders. The quarter ended with ENG leading 2-0.
The fourth quarter saw a dramatic turn of events, with Germany making a brilliant comeback. With seven minutes to go, Germany took off their goalkeeper Stadler and brought in another player.
Two minutes later, the German captain attacked the baseline, and Mats Grumbusch deflected off the pass to score a goal for Germany.
With only two minutes remaining, Tom Grumbusch scored the equalizer during a penalty stroke. The match ended in a draw and proceeded to a penalty shootout to decide who would face Australia in the semifinals.
Germany opted to change its goalkeeper to Danneberg for the penalty shootouts. Albery, Wallace, and Roper scored for ENG. At the same time, Wellen, Muller, Prinz, and Ruhr hit the ball past the English goalkeeper to send Germany into the semifinals on 27th January.
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