In the fourth game of the IIHF World Championship 2026 has Men's national team against the reigning world champion and Olympic champion with 3:4 (1:1, 1:2, 0:1) after penalty shootout in front of 9.731 Fans They lost, but secured their first point in this World Cup tournament. DEBThe goal scorers were Moritz Seider, Frederik Tiffels, Marc Michaelis and Joshua Samanski (PS).
The German team got off to a perfect start: their very first attack led to a 1-0 lead thanks to Moritz Seider (2nd minute), whose shot from the blue line was slightly deflected by a defenseman. Head coach Harold Kreis's team played a physical and fast-paced game from the outset. Their best chance for a second goal came in the tenth minute when Stefan Loibl couldn't convert a pass from Leon Gawanke at the far post. The USA also created some notable opportunities towards the end of the period. The Americans finally capitalized on a German defensive lapse to tie the game at 1-1, with Isaac Howard ruthlessly exploiting the opportunity (15th minute).
The second period began with a penalty against Manuel Wiederer, which the USA failed to capitalize on. Just 17 seconds after the power play, Max Sasson poked the puck into the net to give America a 2-1 lead (26th minute). Kai Wissmann scored on the ensuing possession, but the goal was disallowed after a successful coach's challenge (offside). In the 30th minute, Tiffels tied the game at 2-2 from close range. Following a counterattack, Michaelis added another goal, scoring the DEB-Team in the lead (33rd minute). Five wild final minutes in the second period brought some nice scenes on both sides, but no further goals.
The pace of the game remained high at the start of the final period. Both teams engaged in an intense back-and-forth. The USA came closest to equalizing in the 50th minute, hitting the crossbar. The German team also threatened the US goal again with about seven minutes remaining. However, Tommy Novak leveled the score once more in the 55th minute. After a scoreless overtime period, the game was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout: Samanski scored first for Germany, but Howard and Ryan Leonard secured the victory for Team USA.
Best DEBFrederik Tiffels became the player.
The next World Cup match in Group A is coming up for the DEBThe selection match is scheduled for Friday afternoon. The opponent is Hungary, and the game starts at 16:20 pm.
Statistics for the game #GERUSA
Reactions to the game #GERUSA
National coach Harold Kreis"The team fought unconditionally today and stuck together. We discussed before the game that every action counts. We implemented that well and created many good chances in front of goal. Unfortunately, we only got one point, which could still be important for us. We saw a lot of positives for the upcoming games and we will build on that."
Striker Frederik Tiffels"I saw a good game from us. We were there for over 60 minutes and the 1-0 lead gave us momentum. I liked how we reacted after going down 1-2. The deficit didn't unsettle us. In a penalty shootout, there's always a bit of a gamble. Overall, the result should give us confidence for the upcoming games."
Striker Marc Michaelis"It was a good game from us today, with a clear improvement in performance. We made many decisions that were better than in the other games. We deserved to win today. This defeat doesn't feel right. Our belief in ourselves remains. We proved that, and we'll take that into the next games."