The machines had thrown the water from full hoses onto the field, but the blue artificial turf did not stay wet for long. At half time, water had to be replenished, as if an expensive floriculture would be in danger here. Rather, the German team and their goal of winning this game were in distress – on the north court of the Oi-Hockey-Park at 34 degrees in the shade.
Whether it was also due to the heat, which may have afflicted many German hockey players this Thursday, is unlikely to be found out. In any case, later, when coming to terms with this bitterest defeat in 21 years, nobody mentioned the sun.
The staff of German hockey is stooped and exhausted
Bent and exhausted, three of the older ones and the national coach showed up in the mixed zone to explain what no one understood: The 4-5 defeat against India in the small final and the loss of the bronze medal, which they actually already had in the Had believed hands. “An unbelievable disappointment,” said captain Tobias Hauke, and national coach Kais al Saadi also found a fitting formulation for what felt like a catastrophe, but it only happened in sport: “A small world has come to an end for us today.”
For almost two weeks, this actually strong team had shown two faces, as if teams could also have a split personality. In the Honamas, as it is abbreviated internally, outstanding games alternated with miserable scenes that ruined everything again. Creative and successful, then destructive again – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Everyone believed that the good qualities would win out in the end. But hope was deceptive. It is true that there were high victories against strong opponents in Tokyo, such as the 5-1 against Great Britain, and the Kais al Saadi players also started against India as if nothing could stop them. But the tendency of the team at these Olympic Games to keep depriving themselves of their wages – why should it have evaporated? On the contrary, it actually got really absurd.
The Indians had just equalized the 1-0, when the players around captain Tobias Hauke turned up again and brought two exemplary quick attacks in front of the goal: one on the left, one on the right and it was 3: 1. Usually this is the decisive turning point in the game, even if it’s not even half time. Because under normal circumstances, the team keeps the lead by holding the ball, letting the opponent run, playing him tired, as Hauke said. There may be a counterattack, but the one medal that everyone wants is usually secured.
But this time it didn’t go normally. In this small final of the most important hockey tournament for five years, it was nine minutes later 5: 3 for India. And that had to do with a circumstance that the long-time defender Martin Häner clearly named in the end. They played well and dangerously up front, but the team showed deficiencies in both circles in front of the goals, in attack as well as in defense. And that was crucial, because the circle is the place in hockey where almost everything is decided.
First a shock, then a shock
The Germans had led with two goals, but after a surprisingly short time, the Indian team, under the direction of their Australian coach Graham Reid, reflected on their strengths, which also include the short corners. They quickly brought the ball back into the circle of the Germans and successfully provoked the next corner.
The conversion rate of these penalty corners is also decisive for a game, at the end of this game the Indians had converted two out of six, the Germans on the other hand only one out of 13. The quick connection goal was a small shock, the second corner goal, a good minute later, a shock. The tired play was called off.
What Hardik Singh and Parmanpreet Singh succeeded so well, namely sharp and placed penalty corners, turned out to be a painful weakness in the game of the Germans. In a circle, their attempts to defend did not reach the ball, and vice versa, if they had an advantage, the Germans got stuck, aimed too imprecisely or lost their way trying to play around the attacking opponents. But the usual game situations in this narrow semicircle also led to real scoring chances less and less.
After all, the score was still 3: 3, one could say that we would just start over. But it was felt that the opponent suddenly believed in bronze, and the Germans rather doubted. The Indian national team has achieved eight Olympic victories in the history of this sport, albeit the last 41 years ago. Since then there has not been a podium, so the chance of bronze had a special charm that visibly spurred the players on.
Four minutes after the break it was 5: 3 for India, the rest of the time they managed in much the same way as Al Saadi’s players had planned before: They let their opponents run, won and danced for joy, as did some Indian reporters the media stand.
Even with the Germans, this sport is in the context of Olympic history, they have always won a medal for 21 years, including two victories, one in London and one in Beijing. But in the end we always look ahead. After Tokyo, Al Saadi said, most older players like Hauke would resign, maybe play a little hockey in the club and otherwise take part in the “knowledge transfer” from old to young, which hockey players traditionally rely on.
An important part of the tactical knowledge, namely the chapter about coolness and precision and the question of how to safely bring a safe 3: 1 lead to the finish line, should now take up a lot of space in this transfer.
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