Preparation at the highest level

As part of this preparation, we took part in several top-class tournaments. These included the prestigious Messmer Cup with numerous top clubs from Hamburg, the 4 Nations Cup in Ourense against Italy, Portugal and Spain and the traditional New Year’s tournament, the Rohrmax Cup in Vienna, in which many top European nations were represented. This combination of club and international matches gave us exactly the intensity and quality we needed for an A European Championship.

Arrival in Heidelberg – an arena in a class of its own

We traveled directly from Vienna to Heidelberg, where we concluded our preparations with a test match against the Czech Republic and a final training session. We were accommodated in a hotel within walking distance of the impressive SNP Arena. The arena exceeded all our expectations: sold-out stands, a strong presence of sponsors, activities for young players, a wide range of catering options, VIP areas, DJ installations, large video screens with replays and live streams of all matches – a real top international event feeling.

Third A European Championship in a row

The European Championships finally began on Thursday – for the third time in a row at A level. A clear sign that Switzerland has established itself at this level in recent years. After previous highlights such as the victory against Belgium four years ago or the win against Germany two years ago, this time an extremely strong preliminary round group awaited with Spain, Germany, Belgium and promoted Ireland.

Difficult start against Spain

The opening game against Spain proved to be very difficult. A technically strong team with many experienced players who also play at the highest level for Spain outdoors. After trailing 3:0, we fought our way back to 3:1, but the quick 4:1 robbed us of our mental momentum. In the end, we lost 7:1. The motto was: lick our wounds, take the positives with us and immediately focus on our next top opponent – Germany.

Against Germany in a full arena

On Friday, the game against Germany was on the agenda – a dream for every indoor hockey fan: against Germany in Germany, in a sold-out arena, live on German television. The minute’s silence before the start of the game in memory of the victims in Crans-Montana was particularly moving. After this impressive minute, the game began and it quickly became clear: respect yes, fear no. We were 4:1 behind at half-time. Germany mainly used quick counter-attacks and efficient penalty corners to pull 6:1 ahead. But we didn’t give up and fought our way back to 6:3 before Germany scored the final 7:3 in the final minute.

Decisive match for staying in the league

This brought the decisive match against Ireland into focus. It was all or nothing for both teams. After trailing 2:0 and clear words within the team, we managed to turn the game around completely. With great mentality and determination, we prevailed 6:3 and secured our place in the A group.

This sense of achievement released new energy. Our self-confidence and the quality of our play increased noticeably – and this was immediately evident in our final group match against Belgium. It was a high-class and intense game, which we won 8:5 thanks to clever and structured play – a strong exclamation mark.

Placement matches full of drama

In the qualifying matches for places 5-8, we faced Portugal – just like two years ago. And once again, the game ended in a 5-5 draw, so that shoot-outs had to decide the outcome. In an electrifying atmosphere, with lots of goals, excitement and a great fight, we once again came out on top and left the field as winners.

That left one last match for fifth place – again against Belgium, who had previously beaten the Czech Republic. This game was also a real spectacle. We kept falling behind (2:0, 4:1, 5:4), but fought our way back each time. The last quarter was completely crazy: eight goals in eight minutes, including four Swiss goals in just three minutes. In the end, the Belgians played out the game a little more cleverly – accompanied by some unsportsmanlike actions. The disappointment after the final whistle was huge.

Pride and perspective

But pride quickly prevailed. Pride in the team, in our development and in what we showed at this European Championship. Retaining our class, 6th place and enormous international experience – Switzerland presented itself on this big stage and proved what it is capable of. An important step on the road to further success for Swiss field hockey.