The Swiss show nerves in the final minutes and lost by a narrow margin of 31:33.
The last match of the tournament was also the final match between Switzerland and Germany: both teams had not given up any points so far and left a good impression.
The ranks were packed as Switzerland started the game with full speed. Germany, on the other hand, seemed nervous and had problems converting their shots. Again and again they failed from favourable positions in the opening minutes against the strong Swiss goalkeeper Kusnandar. He saved five balls in the first ten minutes.
In the Swiss attack Luca Sigrist showed a strong game and posed some problems for the German defense. This allowed Switzerland to pull away with 4 goals in a row to 13:8. Unfortunately, the period of strength was short-lived, allowing Team Germany to equalize the score again by the break.
The second half showed a similar picture: Sigrist and Steenaerts scored important goals up front, while Kusnandar kept shining with spectacular saves. But Germany did not let itself be shaken off and thus the game was completely open 10 minutes before the end. After a remarkable Kempa trick on Wolfisberg, the momentum seemed to tip to the side of Switzerland. Unfortunately, the euphoria was short-lived as the Swiss missed several good chances in the closing minutes after strong individual actions. In contrast, Germany showed a strong team performance and was able to create good chances again and again, which they also converted with ease. In the end, the Swiss had to admit defeat with 31:33.
Switzerland thus finished the 2023 Airport Trophy in second place behind Germany. Especially in the games against Poland and Germany, they showed that they can hold their own internationally.
Top scorer of the tournament: Switzerland: Gino Steenaerts (28 goals)
Most Valuable Player: Poland: Marcin Peplinski
Best Goalkeeper: Germany: Julian Buchele (42%)
