Germany Secure Second Place: Switzerland Show Great Character After Poor Start

In the final match of the 15th Airport Trophy, the German selection defeats Switzerland in a high-scoring encounter 35-33 (18-13). While the DHB squad lays the foundation for victory thanks to a dominant opening phase, the Swiss team delivers a strong display of character, fighting their way back after falling significantly behind.

The premise before the traditional neighbors' clash was clear: Germany wanted to secure second place in the tournament with a win, while Switzerland aimed to make amends in front of their home crowd after two defeats. However, the start went completely wrong for the hosts. Coordination issues in the Swiss back court led to quick turnovers, which the Germans ruthlessly punished.

Furious German Start and Swiss Disarray

The German line player, Bennet Strobel, in particular, proved impossible for the Swiss defense to contain. Strobel scored five goals almost single-handedly in the opening minutes, pushing his team to an early, significant lead. The Swiss play appeared unfocused and erratic during this phase. National coach Petr Hrachovec had started the match without playmaker Tiago Cuencas – a perfectly normal measure to manage workloads over a dense tournament schedule – but now found himself forced to take an early timeout.

However, the hoped-for stability initially failed to materialize. Directly after the huddle, another technical error followed, and shortly after, Nils Epp missed from a clear position against the sharply reacting German goalkeeper, Finn Knaack. When Johan Rohwer scored completely unchallenged from the back court, Switzerland were in danger of falling apart early on. Hrachovec finally brought Cuencas into the game, but Knaack immediately denied the next counter-attack from Rino Hochuli. Germany controlled events on the court so clearly that coach Martin Heuberger took a timeout despite the comfortable lead to keep his team focused.

Tactical Shift Sparks the Turnaround

Switzerland subsequently tried playing with a seventh outfield player in attack. Tactically, the move initially showed mixed success – partly because the defensive transition occasionally lacked absolute conviction – but one player prevented worse: Alessandro Lüthi stepped up and kept Switzerland in the game with strong offensive actions.

While Cuencas was initially unlucky with his finishes and Germany successfully added scores through Julius Hein on the line, the Swiss deficit stabilized at around six goals. Shortly before the break, however, a glimmer of hope appeared: led by Lüthi, who reduced the margin with his fourth personal goal, the home team found their footing. They headed into the locker room with a much more manageable five-goal deficit.

Röttges Leads the Swiss Fightback

After the interval, Switzerland looked completely transformed. The hosts quickly reduced the deficit, sparking an extremely fast exchange with goals flowing continuously on both sides. During this phase, one Swiss player stood out in particular: Neil Röttges proved physically unstoppable in one-on-one situations. Röttges played a perfect game, remaining flawless with seven goals from seven attempts, and single-handedly brought Switzerland back to within two goals.

Germany reacted to the shrinking lead with a timeout and managed to get some breathing room. Yet the Swiss refused to be shaken off and remained within striking distance right into the final phase.

Thrilling Crunchtime in the Ruebisbachhalle

A few minutes before the end, Switzerland mobilized their last reserves and reduced the deficit to two goals once more. A sensation briefly hung in the air, but the composed Germans kept their nerves in the hectic final minutes. Tom Koschek scored the decisive goal shortly before the final whistle to seal the win for the DHB selection, before Nils Epp converted a penalty at the very end to set the final score at 33-35 from a Swiss perspective.

Conclusion: Germany Claim Second, Switzerland Show Heart

Germany deservedly won the match due to their dominant first quarter of an hour, securing second place in the final standings of the Airport Trophy. Although Switzerland finished the tournament without a point, they take very valuable insights from this final game. After a mistake-heavy opening phase, the team showed great moral character and played the European Championship co-favorites completely on par over the remaining 45 minutes.

The offensive performances of Neil Röttges (7 goals) and Alessandro Lüthi (6 goals) were particularly impressive. There was also a major personal success for Tiago Cuencas: despite scoring only twice in the final game, he crowned himself the undisputed top scorer of the entire tournament with a total of 19 goals.