today 16:02
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At the Winter Olympics in Beijing, German hockey players wanted to repeat the historic success of four years ago and fight for medals again.
However, they were unable to give the performances they had imagined on the narrow rink and said goodbye to the tournament at the beginning of the elimination phase. In the qualification for the quarterfinals, the Slovaks clearly lost 0: 4.
A gloomy mood prevailed in the German camp, and players and fans expected much better performances and results from the team, which included 10 silver medalists from Pyongyang and 19 semifinalists from the 2021 World Championships in Riga. Germany did not show them even in the basic phase, when after a high loss of 1: 5 they narrowly defeated the home team of China 3: 2 and only the duel with the USA (2: 3) withstood higher criteria.
The playoffs also pulled to a shorter end. The Germans managed to push Slovakia only at the beginning and in the future they were not too dangerous. “We have to admit that today we played against a very, very strong opponent. The team that showed its strength already in the group stage, even though it lost to Finland and Sweden. We already saw in the analysis that they can be dangerous. Step number one is, that you always have to respect your opponent’s qualities. Against this, we weren’t fast enough and argued today. We just weren’t at their level. “ admitted Toni Söderholm.
The Finnish coach of Germany said that one of the reasons why the hopes of fighting for the medals had vanished so quickly was the narrow rink. His charges did not adapt well to him: “We weren’t good enough on the small ice, we weren’t fast enough, we weren’t making good decisions on the small ice, and we weren’t consistent enough. That caused us the most problems on the gameplay.” He did not want to comment on his stay as head coach shortly after dropping out.
However, players believe it will continue. “Of course, we want Toni to stay,” said team leader and captain Moritz Müller. He also admitted that one of the factors for a quick drop was a narrow rink, but there were others: “We didn’t show our game today or in the whole tournament. What we showed was not enough. After the first match we couldn’t build the confidence we had in previous tournaments. There were more of those factors, there will definitely be a lot to analyze. , both between us and from outside, and we must derive responsibility. “
For the thirty-five-year-old defender, it was probably the last Olympics, so it was difficult for him to drop out. “When we talked about medals, we meant it and we felt that way. Well, we dropped out, it’s a very bitter pill. It’s almost talk about the end of one generation. I think that after what we’ve built in recent years, “It would not be right to want to end everything after a tournament that did not work out. It is a great honor for me personally to be, and if I need and will be interested in me, I am at your service.” he added.