In their second game of the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland, the men's national team failed to score any points against Latvia after an intense match. The game ended 0-2 (0-1, 0-1, 0-0).
The DEBThe opening minutes belonged to the German team, who started with high pressure and created early chances, all of which Latvian goalkeeper Kristers Gudlevskis was able to parry. After almost six minutes, Philipp Grubauer in the German goal was called into action for the first time. The game developed into an open, attacking affair with more scoring opportunities for both sides. Shortly before halftime, Martins Dzierkals scored from the blue line to give Latvia a 1-0 lead at the break (19th minute).
The remaining German power play from the first period remained fruitless after the intermission. However, Rudolf Balcers scored the second goal on the power play in the 25th minute, making it 2-0. The German team immediately increased the pressure but hit the post with their best opportunity. Latvia continued to be dangerous on the counterattack, but Grubauer thwarted their efforts. Joshua Samanski had a chance to pull one back in the 32nd minute on a breakaway, but his shot was stopped by Gudlevskis. Shortly before the intermission, the DEBThe team was more active than the Latvians, but could not reward themselves with their first goal.
Samanski had another great chance for Germany's first goal at the start of the final period, but the puck flew wide. Despite another power play, the DEBThe team failed to score the long-awaited equalizer. In the final stages, national coach Harold Kreis threw everything into the attack, pulling goalie Grubauer from the ice with five minutes remaining. In the final sprint, the DEBThe team did not score, so the duel ended 0:2.
Leon Hüttl was chosen as the best German player.
The third World Cup match in Group A is on the cards for the DEBThe team will play on Monday evening. Their opponent is the reigning World Cup runner-up and host nation, Switzerland. Kick-off is again at 20:20 pm.
Statistics for the game #GERLAT
Voices on the game #GERLAT
National coach Harold Kreis: "Our team played with great commitment again today. There are several things we need to work on for the upcoming matches. The Latvians operated with a very good defensive structure, which was as expected. Overall, we made it too easy for the Latvian goalkeeper today because we didn't obstruct his view when we shot. We need to create more traffic and find a more direct route to goal. We need to implement that better in the upcoming matches."
Captain and defender Moritz Seider: "We lost today because we lacked penetration in front of their goal. We had plenty of possession and created dangerous chances, but without any traffic in front of the net, you make it easy for the goalkeeper. Tomorrow we have a chance to make amends against a top team in a fantastic atmosphere – for ourselves and for our confidence. There were also plenty of positives today."
Striker Lukas Reichel: "The Latvians countered skillfully today and scored the goals when it mattered most. And despite many chances, we simply couldn't find the net. In the end, we lacked that one goal to really get back into the game and then extend our lead. We still believe in ourselves, especially because our effort and determination are there."