Hockey thriller: Cologne loses after a thrilling penalty duel!

Hockey thriller: Cologne loses after a thrilling penalty duel!

The tensions in the KTHC Rot-Weiss Cologne continue. On November 4th, 2025, the team experienced a painful duel against UHC Hamburg that will remain in the spectators' memories for a long time. Goalkeeper Lisa Höllriegl showed an impressive performance and saved six penalties and two seven-meter penalties. However, the team had to give up after a thrilling shoot-out and ultimately lost 11:10 after a penalty shootout. Yani Zhong, the 32nd shooter at the Rewe-Sportpark, secured the victory for UHC Hamburg, while the Cologne team was confronted with the feeling of unused opportunities.

The statistics are just as impressive as the events on the field. The match ended 2-2 after regular time, and in extra time Cologne was unable to score thanks to another goal from Zhong, which led assistant coach Gero Corpsich to realize that the team was closer to the decisive 3-2 than the eventual defeat suggested. “The necessary bit of luck was missing,” summed up head coach Tibor Weißenborn, disappointed but optimistic that the injured players will return soon.

The first half of the season in review

The first half of the Bundesliga season was full of ups and downs for Rot-Weiss. The KTHC finished the phase with two home wins and is currently in seventh place - just one point away from the non-playoff place. Nevertheless, Corpsich remains optimistic as the return of injured players is in sight. These players include Rebecca Grote and Lena Morgenstern, who were unable to take part in the game due to their injuries. Anna Küskes celebrated her season debut, but could not prevent the 2-4 defeat against Alster, which impressively underlines the team's challenges.

A ray of hope on the horizon is the upcoming start of the indoor Bundesliga season, which begins on November 28th. Julia Sonntag will also prepare here, as she has her eye on the European Indoor Championships in Prague. Assistant coach Wolfgang Kluth praised the team's reaction after a derby loss and encouraged them to learn from the setbacks.

The playoffs are approaching

Another highlight of the season is imminent: Despite the recent defeat, the KTHC remains in the top group. They are currently in fourth place, just two points behind Mülheim (3rd) and Mannheim (2nd), which shows the exciting constellation in the playoff race. On May 11, 2025, in another encounter, the Cologne team secured important points with a 3-0 win against UHC Hamburg, thereby ensuring their playoff qualification, which could give a certain amount of self-confidence.

And something that is particularly interesting to the Cologne fans: some players will travel to India for the U-21 World Cup and will therefore be missing from the indoor season. But the team as a whole remains confident that these challenges can be transformed into strength and cohesion.

The coming weeks are crucial for KTHC Rot-Weiss Cologne. The battle for the playoff spots continues, and while the first half of the season is over, everyone involved is eagerly awaiting the next phase - in both field and indoor hockey. Let's look forward to the next games and whether the team will have the necessary bit of luck.