Great Britain Men’s Team fought valiantly in the final of the FIH Olympic Qualifiers 2024 but fell short as they suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat against the reigning World Champions Germany in Muscat, Oman on Sunday.
Germany’s Martin Zwicker (56′) was the lone goalscorer in what was a hard-fought contest.
The opening minutes saw both teams exchanging attacks, with Germany slightly having a better possession. They went on to earn their first penalty corner of the match in the 7th minute, but GB goalie James Mazarelo made a stunning save.
GB, on the other hand, were pushed on the back foot as they couldn’t create spaces inside the Germany circle. Although they did have one real chance, but Zach Wallace’s shot went wide of the goalpost, ending the quarter at 0-0.
The start second quarter saw end-to-end action, with both teams pushing for an opening goal, but neither could find one.
In the latter phase, Germany had a better share of possession and piled pressure on the GB defence with relentless attack. They had their second penalty corner in the 27th minute, and also created close goalscoring opportunities, however GB defence stood tall to end the first half at 0-0 stalemate.
The start of the second half mirrored a familiar tale. As both teams vied for their opening goal, they engaged in a relentless back-and-forth action. However, it turned into a midfield battle, with neither team giving away much space, ending the third quarter at 0-0.
GB came out all guns blazing in the final quarter, earning as many as four timely penalty corners, but couldn’t capitalise on the opportunities.
In response, Germany broke the deadlock through Zwicker, who found the back of the net in the 56th minute during a penalty corner routine. Despite GB’s last-minute chances to equalize through a series of penalty corners, it just wasn’t their day. The World Champions held on and secured a narrow 1-0 win.
With a second-place finish in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers 2024, GB have successfully secured their place at the prestigious Paris 2024 Olympics.
