German indoor hockey world champion: “Hellishly well defended”

In the redeeming final scene of a seven -day triumphal procession, the German goalkeeper Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji spanked the BALL from the Austrian penalty shooter Sebastian Eitenberger. The next moment onyekwue Nnaji was surrounded by exuberant cheering teammates. They wore unusual national jerseys in a color that reflected the fourth German indoor hockey world championship title all the more appropriate: pink.

With an 8: 7 victory to Penalty Shootout (2-1), the German indoor hockey managers have become world champion for the first time since 2011 in the Croatian coastal city of Porec on Sunday evening. The 2024 European champion Germany defeated the 2023 world champion Austria in a heartbeat final. Onyekwue Nnaji from Crefelder HTC even parried two penalts in the shootout. At the award ceremony, he was honored as the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The penalties turned Nicolas Proske from TSV Mannheim and Ben Hasbach from Mannheimer HC. The latter, 19 years old and with 16 World Cup hits Germany, the most successful shooter was named the best young player in the tournament. Captain Anton Boeckel from the Club on Alster Hamburg accepted the World Cup Cup.

“This is just incredible,” cheered after the final of the “Man of the Match”, Paul Dösch from the Berlin HC: “We only came together ten days ago.” The team of coach Jan Philipp Rabente and Matthias Witthaus contested six games within seven days and won them all – however, it had already required a penalty shootout in the quarter -finals against Poland. A little luck is part of it. “We defended hellishly well,” Dösch held responsible for winning the title at the end of the tournament.

“The value of this title is enormous, indoor hockey is of great importance in Germany,” says coach Rabenten

“We are overjoyed to have won the title after so many years,” said the sports director Martin Schultze from the German Hockey Bund. “The value of this title is enormous, indoor hockey is of great importance in Germany,” the coach Rabenten ordered the triumph. He also praised the quick, efficient focus of the players on the tournament. “It is incredible what the boys have put together in the past ten days.”

With indoor hockey, the field is significantly smaller than in field hockey, accordingly the gate. A team consists of a goalkeeper and five field players. Along the side lines are ten centimeters high wooden beams, which enable a gang passing game. A World Cup in indoor hockey was first held in Leipzig in 2003: premiere winner was Germany. At that time that was the first of now four World Cup titles (2003, 2007, 2011, 2025) for the men.

In Porec, German women lost both the semi-finals against Austria and the game for bronze against the Czech Republic in the penalty shootout. Poland became world champion. German women were indoor hockey world champions in 2003, 2011 and 2018.