Germany: Germany 4:1 (1:1) France

1st half

Two teams at eye level
France started with enormous pressure against the build-up of the German team. However, André Henning’s team knew how to free themselves and so the first circle entries of the game belonged to them. Both teams tried to put their game on the field in the first few minutes and set an example early on. France did so in the seventh minute and earned their first penalty corner. As in the game against the Netherlands, Jean-Paul Danneberg was there and defused the situation. It was only in the eleventh minute that Germany had their first real opportunity with a penalty corner. Tom Grambusch took the shot, but failed because of a French racket. Two minutes before the first quarter break, France were outnumbered and the next situation for the HONAMAS resulted in a penalty corner. This time Gonzalo Peillat brought the ball towards the goal. Arthur Thieffry parried the shot. The first quarter of an hour ended goalless.

goals on both sides
The French had the first chance to score in the second quarter. Shortly thereafter, the German team received the third penalty corner, which led to a dangerous counterattack. Mathias Müller was the last man to save in his own shooting circle. The spectators in SparkassenPark saw an exciting game with attacks from both sides. In the 24th minute there was the fourth penalty corner for the DHB selection. The rebound from Peillat’s shot landed on Mats Grambusch, who put the ball on target again. A Frenchman deflected the shot unluckily and the ball wriggled in the net. The leadership for the team of national coach André Henning. Then it went back to the goal of Jean-Paul Danneberg. Twice the referees decided on a penalty corner for France, the second time Danneberg had to reach behind him. Charles Masson made it 1-1. Germany pushed for the lead again in the closing minutes of the first half and were rewarded in the 30th minute. However, the fifth penalty corner could not be accommodated in the French goal. Both teams went into the break with a draw.

2nd half

France cannot withstand the pressure
It took 38 seconds in the second half before the HONAMAS, in the person of Niklas Wellen, got another penalty corner. This time Lukas Windfeder stepped up and sank the ball in the lower left corner. The early lead for Germany brought momentum into the second half. The team around Mats Grambusch was now better in the game and in the 35th minute there was another penalty corner for Germany. Gonzalo Peillat tried, but Arthur Thieffry made a strong save. Even three minutes later, Lukas Windfeder was unable to extend the lead with a penalty corner. However, France could no longer withstand the pressure from the German team and in the 39th minute caused a 7 meter. Tom Grambusch stepped up, but Arthur Thieffry was there again. What a parade. The third goal for HONAMAS was slowly overdue and with the ninth penalty corner it was finally 3:1. Gonzalo Peillat scored his first goal of the tournament. After that it was only on the French box. First the German team hit the crossbar, then the tenth penalty corner was awarded. In the 43rd minute, Thies Prinz made it 4-1 with a shot from eight yards. No chance for Arthur Thieffry. The German team now seemed close to winning the group and went into the last quarter with a 4:1 lead.

Group winners
The mood of the fans in SparkassenPark was great at the beginning of the last quarter. Germany successfully defended its own circle and continued to set accents at the front. The German fans could be heard cheering for their team from the stands. There were many opportunities to further extend the lead, but there was a lack of consistency. France couldn’t create any more great chances. André Henning’s team stood defensively and did not allow anything. The last group game of the HONAMAS ended 4:1 and like the German women, the German men also finished their group phase in first place.

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Game details

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HONAMAS squad