Two goals from Christopher Rühr helped visitors Germany claim a hard-earned 2-2 draw against Spain before winning the shoot-out 4-3 in front of a packed house at the Estadio Betero in Valencia.
Germany needed just three minutes to open the scoring thanks to Rühr’s smart turn and shot, but the hosts levelled before the end of the first quarter through David Alegre’s fine reactions, pouncing on a penalty corner rebound. Veteran Red Sticks striker Pau Quemada put the home favourites in front with a stunning third quarter penalty corner drag-flick, but Ruhr’s clinical strike three minutes from time, assisted perfectly by Player of the Match Niklas Wellen, ensured that the match finished level at 2-2 and triggered a shoot-out for the bonus point.
Misses from Alvaro Iglesias and Josep Romeu proved costly for Spain in the one-on-ones, with Rühr, Tobias Hauke, Wellen and Florian Fuchs all on target as Die Honamas claimed two points from a possible three from the contest.
"It is always tough to play here, we knew that from last year”, said Germany’s Niklas Wellen after the match. “We struggled in the beginning. The first half was okay but we knew we could play better. The second half was better. We played some quicker passes and I feel 2-2 was a good result."
Spain's captain Miguel Delas said: "Today was an equal game. We did some really good things and we need to focus on those things tomorrow. In tomorrow's match we need to make more of the possession we enjoyed."
Complete information on the match can be found on the live reporting page by clicking here.
Spain and Germany will play their second match of this double header on Saturday (25 January), a day that will also see Australia’s women and men taking on the national teams of Belgium in Sydney. Details about those fixtures can be found below, with the complete match schedule available by clicking here.
As we reported on Thursday, today’s FIH Hockey Pro League women’s meeting between USA and the Netherlands, scheduled to be played at the Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was cancelled as a mark of respect to US National Teams Manager Larry Amar, who passed away this week whilst with the US Women’s Team.
The second match, planned on Sunday 26 January in the same venue, is maintained and, in accordance with the League’s regulations for a cancelled match, the points of this match will count double (6 points for the winning team, no point for the losing team; in case of a shoot-out, the team winning the shoot-out will get 4 points and the losing team 2 points).
On Wednesday, FIH had extended its condolences and deepest sympathy to Larry Amar’s family, friends and all members of USA Field Hockey.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
FIH Hockey Pro League
Estadio Betero, Valencia (ESP)
Result: Men’s Match 3 - Friday 24 January 2020
Spain 2, Germany 2 – 3-4 After Shoot-Out (Match 1 of 2)
Player of the Match:Niklas Wellen (GER)
Umpires: Coen van Bunge (NED), Jonas van 't Hek (NED) and Bruce Bale (ENG - Video).
Upcoming fixtures
Match Day 6 – Saturday 25 January 2020
Sydney (AUS) – Women: Australia v Belgium (Match 1 of 2)
Time: 1600 (GMT/UTC +11)
Sydney (AUS) – Men: Australia v Belgium (Match 1 of 2)
Time: 1830 (GMT/UTC +11)
Valencia (ESP) – Men: Spain v Germany (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1300 (GMT/UTC +1)
Match Day 7 – Sunday 27 January 2020
Sydney (AUS) – Women: Australia v Belgium (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1500 (GMT/UTC +11)
Sydney (AUS) – Men: Australia v Belgium (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1730 (GMT/UTC +11)
Chapel Hill (USA) – Women: USA v Netherlands (Match 1 of 1)
Time: 1400 (GMT/UTC -5)
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