- An ugly fight broke out in the men’s hockey final at the Olympics
- The Netherlands beat Germany on penalties in Paris on Thursday
- But the reaction of one Dutch star has seen the champions labelled “bitter winners”.
The Netherlands have been branded “bitter winners” after an ugly brawl broke out following the men’s hockey team’s gold medal win over Germany.
The Dutch beat their German rivals 3-1 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw to claim the main prize, with Duco Telgenkamp scoring the final spot-kick past goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg.
Telgenkamp then confronted Danneberg with a gesture of silence, triggering violent scenes when Niklas Wellen ran to defend his goalkeeper.
The Dutchman’s taunt appeared to be a response to Danneberg’s pre-match comments suggesting the Netherlands were afraid of the German team.
Telgenkamp was then seen putting his hand on German star Wellen’s throat as a handful of players celebrated their victory nearby.
The bad-tempered brawl did not go down well with fans watching the match at home, who took to social media in droves to condemn the Dutch side.
“He could have won with dignity, but he just had to be a tough winner,” said one fan on Reddit.
Another said: “I was wondering why a fight broke out until they showed this afterwards. It wasn’t nice of the winners to do that.”
An ugly brawl broke out after the men’s hockey gold medal match in Paris.
Dutch star Duco Telgenkamp mocked German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg after sealing victory in a dramatic penalty shootout
But his celebration sparked a furious reaction from Germans in scenes that marred the event.
“I feel embarrassed to the core,” said a third fan. “You are privileged brats.”
“I think the goalkeeper is feeling pretty bad already,” added another fan. “No need to make fun of him. Go celebrate your gold medal.”
A fifth fan said: “It’s embarrassing. Bitter winners are worse than bitter losers.”
“Depends on what the German said, but that’s a mistake,” said another Reddit user. “The bigger men enjoy the gold.”
Thursday The victory gave the Dutch their third gold medal and their tenth medal overall in hockey since 1928. They last won gold in Sydney Matches in 2000, having lost in the finals in 2004 and 2012.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in the stands watching his country as chants of “Holland!” and “Germany!” competed during a fiercely contested defensive duel.
Germany and the Netherlands were limited to six and seven shots respectively, with the Germans having 57% of the possession but the Dutch doubling their penetrations into the attacking circle with 20.
The Netherlands won gold but fans described them as “bitter winners” on social media
Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman finally opened the scoring in the 46th minute when he redirected a shot from teammate Koen Bijen past Danneberg.
Germany defender Gonzalo Peillat saved his team in the 49th minute by blocking a shot on the goal line with the centre of his post that had gone over Danneberg, who had dived to stop a shot moments earlier.
Immediately after, Germany put pressure on the Dutch defence, who conceded a penalty corner. Midfielder Thies Prinz took advantage to equalise, breaking back and firing a shot past goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak.
The Netherlands were awarded a penalty corner in the final minute, which defender Jip Janssen headed with his post but the ball went wide and the match had to be decided in a penalty shoot-out.
Danneberg saved Jonas de Geus’s first penalty by diving to block the shot, while Pirmin responded by holding the ball between his gloves from Niklas Wellen.
Danneberg also saved the second penalty, saving the ball with his protected hand as he lunged. Pirmin then caught Hannes Mueller’s spot kick with his protected hand, allowing the shoot-out to end at 0-0.
Brinkman scored the first goal of the shootout with a spinning backhand that lifted the ball between Danneberg’s leg and post. Pirmin then saved Prinz’s shot with his supporting hand.
Thijs van Dam followed his captain and slotted the ball through Danneberg’s legs, leaving the Germans on the ropes.
Justus Weigand scored Germany’s first goal in the shoot-out by rounding Pirmin’s flank, but it was too late as Telgenkamp’s shot bounced off the boards and gave the Dutch gold, leaving Germany with their last shot in hand.