European Hockey Championship: German women fight for the semi-finals with injuries!

European Hockey Championship: German women fight for the semi-finals with injuries!

The German hockey women qualified for the semi-finals of the European Championship with a lot of effort. After a clear defeat against the Netherlands, which ended 1:5, the fight for a place in the semi-finals was anything but easy. On Friday at 8:00 p.m. the team will face Belgium, an opponent who is proving to be a serious challenge. This reports Free press.

Under the leadership of Dutch coach Janneke Schopman, the DHB selection initially appeared unsettled after only managing to draw 0-0 in the first group game against Ireland. In the decisive game against the Dutch, the German players quickly had to fall behind: Freeke Moes scored after just 35 seconds, followed by further goals from Frédérique Matla, Pien Sanders and Marijn Veen. The only consolation goal for Germany came from a penalty corner from Lena Micheel. Loud Sports show The team was weakened by injuries - Felicia Wiedermann was out with knee problems and Sonja Zimmermann had thigh problems.

The difficult starting position

Before the semi-finals, Germany had to be careful because Belgium is not exactly an easy opponent. The team finished the last European Championship finals as European runners-up and was recently able to defeat Germany twice in the ProLeague, once even in a shootout. Historically, things didn't look rosy either; The federal hockey women lost to the Belgians in the last two European Championship semi-finals. Schopman and her protégés therefore face a major challenge, as do they South German newspaper highlights.

The experienced coach Janneke Schopman, who was Olympic champion in 2008 and played successfully at world level several times, has brought a new breath of fresh air to the German team. She is the first woman to be the national coach of the German women's national team and has already achieved a promising victory in the European Championship opener against France. Even if the past is catching up with the German team, Schopman is confident about the future and is self-confident when analyzing their opponents.

The look forward

Captain Linnea Weidemann and the European Championship debutants Sophia Schwabe and Sara Strauss stood out positively at the tournament. As they look forward to the upcoming semi-final against Belgium, the players must concentrate on what's important: taking the game to the field and analyzing their opponents' strengths. Japan and India have already tested their backbone, and Schopman's meticulous training will now have to pay off.

Hockey fans in Germany can only hope that the team can improve again and finally end the long dry spell without a title. The upcoming games are the perfect moment to show that the defending champions are not invincible after all.