Women's ice hockey team falls short in the finale, losing the gold medal game to the Netherlands with a score of 2-1
Germany Falls Short in European Championship Final Against Dominant Netherlands
In a closely contested final, the German women's hockey team lost to the Netherlands, securing the silver medal in the 2025 European Championship. The final score was 1:2 in favour of the Dutch, who remain unbeaten at major tournaments since 2011.
The Netherlands, who are the reigning world and Olympic champions, scored the first goal of the match just two minutes into the final. Luna Fokke added the second goal before the break, making it 2:0. Lisa Nolte managed to score the only goal for Germany in the final, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
Germany's journey to the final was impressive, considering they were considered underdogs. Coach Janneke Schopmann, who built a new team for the European Championships with eight EM debutants, led the team to the final stages despite a 1:5 loss to the Netherlands in the group stage.
The German team's performance in the tournament, particularly that of the eight EM debutants, was praised by DHB sports director Martin Schultze. He expressed satisfaction with Schopmann's performance and the team's results, stating that such positive results provide the necessary security for Schopmann to continue on her current path.
The German team's victory over Belgium in the semi-finals was celebrated with joy and relief. However, in the final, they faced the defending champions, the Netherlands. Despite playing with a reduced squad due to early injuries, the German team put up a strong and competitive performance but fell short against the dominant Dutch team.
In recent years, Germany has consistently reached the final stages of the European Championships but has repeatedly lost to the Netherlands in the finals. For example, in the 2025 final held in Monchengladbach, Germany was defeated by the Netherlands 2-1, with the Dutch securing their fifth consecutive European title and 13th overall.
Despite the loss, the German team's performance in the tournament, particularly that of the eight EM debutants, provides a promising outlook for the future of German women's hockey.
The German women's hockey team, who put up a strong and competitive performance against the Dutch in the final despite the reduced squad due to early injuries, specialize in sports like hockey. Their loss to the Netherlands, who remain unbeaten at major tournaments since 2011, resulted in Germany securing the silver medal in the 2025 European Championship.
