Cologne misses the title: Crefelder HTC crowns himself in the hockey final!

Cologne misses the title: Crefelder HTC crowns himself in the hockey final!

In an exciting and fast-paced final around the German field hockey championship, Rot-Weiss Cologne had to give up the Crefeld HTC with 1: 3 on June 1, 2025. Christopher Rühr, National striker of Rot-Weiss Cologne, proudly expressed himself after the game for his team, who had only finished fifth in the main round. Now the dream of the 12th championship and qualification for the European Hockey League (EHL) was over. While Cologne defeated the defending champion Mannheimer HC in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout in the semifinals, Crefeld already had to contest a duel with the Hamburg Polo Club in the semi-finals and won 4: 2.

The final took place on the Gerd wave hockey facility in Krefeld, where the hosts put a dramatic comeback. In the first quarter, Crefeld only got a hard time, while Cologne took the lead through Florian Adrian's goal in the 28th minute. Nevertheless, the Krefeld reaction was not long in coming: Masi Pfandt equalized in the 31st minute with a penalty corner and brought his team back into play. This was followed by two more goals by Lucas Bachmann in the 41st and 51st minute, which sealed the fate of the game. Despite several attempts and increased pressure in the final phase, Cologne could no longer compensate for.

special circumstances before the final

strange silence prevailed the night before the final when Crefeld players were woken up by two fire alarms in the hotel. But the shock did not seem to affect her performance. Despite a strong first half of Rot-Weiss, in which they also had a penalty corner for the preliminary decision, it was the Krefeld who recovered from the deficit and won the championship again after 2006.

Darren Cheesman, coach of Rot-Weiss, emphasized the positive attitude of his team, even if critics became loud. He was disappointed with the missed title, but emphasizes: "Despite all the negative opinions, we believed in us." There are now changes for the Cologne team because Thies Prince and Elian Mazkour leave the team without title.

perspectives and developments in German hockey

field hockey in Germany is still very popular and is a traditional sport, but also did not stop in the further development. The men's German hockey national team is, for example, in 4th place in the international FIH ranking. This is remarkable, especially when you look at the fact that Germany won four times Olympic gold in the history of hockey. For the Eurohockey Championships 2025 in Mönchengladbach, even 400 volunteers are sought, which shows how alive the scene is.

The last EHL ticket secured the Hamburg Polo Club, which took the pole position in the main round and is therefore qualified for the international tournament after the championship. The future of field hockey seems rosy, even if the Cologne team could not win the title this time. The next season will have new chances, and the team will be sure to learn from this defeat.