Germany edges past New Zealand in the FIH Champions Trophy
The Black Sticks men’s hockey team failed to take advantage of the home country, losing the first game of the Own G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy to Germany by 2-1, on Saturday, December 03. The match took place at the North Harbour Hockey Stadium, in Auckland,
New Zealand.
Black Sticks’ skipper, Dean Couzins, spoke with the media after the hard-fought game played in front of the crowd-packed arena. He was not happy over the fouls they made during the two halves.
He observed, “We were disappointed with the goals they scored and the penalty corners we gave away. We were just giving the ball away too easily”.
The captain further stated that they upheld their domination in most part of game, giving a tough time to their opponents.
The two teams started the game with a mature style and played mostly in the midfield position. However, the Germans started playing a fast-paced game, taking control of game in the very early minutes.
With three minutes into the game, Germany received its first short corner that put New Zealand on a defensive end. The German team became powerful, taking advantage of the slow game of New Zealand.
With nine minutes into the first half of play, Thilo Stralkowski received a classic pass from Christoph Menke, volleying a powerful shot in the cage. The Black Sticks goalie was unable to stop the ball, conceding the first goal of the day.
The maiden goal of the day further demoralised the Black Sticks, who started playing a cautious game. However, the Black Sticks fans believed that their squad will make a comeback into the game.
In a matter of nine minutes, Hugo Inglis received a pass from Simon Child, unleashing a powerful shot at the roof of the net.
Inglis found another chance to earn a go-ahead goal but the German goalie, Nicolas Jacobi, made a dive to clear the ball away from the danger zone. At halftime, the two teams had locked horns at one-all.
The Germans upheld their dominance throughout the second half of play, giving fewer chances to the opponents. Christopher Wesley gained the go-ahead goal for Germany, sealing the victory for his team by 2-1.
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