Germany lifted the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup trophy for the third time after defeating the defending champions Belgium in a non-stop thrilling Final of the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2023.
It was a memorable Hockey World Cup Final at Kalinga Stadium (Bhubaneswar) on Sunday (29th January) night. After winning this trophy successively in 2002 and 2006, the Germans now won this WC for the third time.
Final: Germany vs Belgium – 1st Half
The defending champions Red Lions had a good start in the tournament finale with two field goals in the first quarter (scored by Florent Van Aubel and Tanguy Cosyns).
Honamas opened their scoreline in the late second quarter as Niklas Wellen successfully converted a penalty corner opportunity.
Final: Germany vs Belgium – 2nd Half
At the end of the third quarter of the match, the scoreline was leveled to 2-2 as Gonzalo Peillat scored the equalizer from a penalty corner.
In the early last quarter, the skipper Mats Grambusch put the Germans ahead in the game for the first time with a field goal. During the very last moment of the match, Tom Boon equalized the scoreline as his side was successful in a penalty corner.
Final: Germany vs Belgium – Shootout
The shootout was also full of a thriller. While the Red Lions missed two consecutive chances during the second and third opportunities, the game was still forced to move on to the Sudden Death after the Germans failed to score in the third and fifth chances.
Sudden Death experienced only one unsuccessful goal attempt as the defending champions’ miss ended their successive World Cup trophy dream.
Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2023: Final
Germany [3(5)] vs Belgium [3(4)]: Germans won the dramatic final
Note: FG = Field Goal; PC = Penalty Corner; PS = Penalty Stroke
Q1 (Final Scoreline): Germany 0 – Belgium 2 [Florent Van Aubel 10’ (FG); Tanguy Cosyns 11’ (FG)]
Q2 (Final Scoreline): Germany 1 [Niklas Wellen 29’ (PC)] – Belgium 2
Half-time
Q3 (Final Scoreline): Germany 2 [Gonzalo Peillat 41’ (PC)] – Belgium 2
Q4 (Final Scoreline): Germany 3 [Mats Grambusch 48’ (FG)] – Belgium 3 [Tom Boon 59’ (PC)]
Full-time
(Shootout)
Player of the Match: Niklas Wellen (Germany)
