In the seventh and final group match of the IIHF World Championship 2026 has Men's national team Germany secured their third consecutive victory. The team, coached by Harold Kreis, won 6-3 (3-0, 1-1, 2-2) against Great Britain. In front of 5.462 spectators at the Swiss Life Arena, Alexander Karachun, Frederik Tiffels, Fabio Wagner, Andreas Eder, Joshua Samanski, and Leon Gawanke were the goal scorers. DEB-Selection.
The German team tried to exploit their speed advantage over the British from the start. With high tempo and quick passes, they gained the upper hand. DEBThe men had their first opportunities. Great Britain rarely threatened, and when they did, it was with individual efforts in front of Philipp Grubauer's net. After the first German power play, Karachun, in his first appearance at this World Championship, scored the opening goal (14th minute) after a pass from Moritz Seider. With 35 seconds left in the first period, Tiffels capitalized on a British pass error and scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0 (20th minute). Just 17 seconds later, Wagner's shot from the blue line found the back of the British net for a 3-0 lead at the intermission (20th minute).
The second period began with another German goal celebration: Eder scored from the slot after a quick passing sequence to make it 4-0 (23rd minute). However, immediately after the goal, Markus Weber was sent to the penalty box. Robert Dowd capitalized on the power play with a shot from the blue line to reduce the deficit to 4-1 (24th minute). Germany continued to dominate the game, although the British tested Grubauer with several good scoring chances.
Just 17 seconds into the third period, Samanski scored the fifth goal for the German team (41st minute). Despite the clear lead, the DEBThe team continued their offensive pressure and extended their shot count. In the 50th minute, Gawanke scored his fourth goal of the tournament to make it 6-1. After a shot in the German offensive zone, the British recovered the puck more quickly and scored their second goal on a counterattack through Ollie Betteridge (51st minute). Thanks to Robert Lachowicz, Great Britain made it 6-3 (55th minute), which was also the final score.
Best DEBKai Wissmann became a player.
With ten points after seven games, the German team finishes the preliminary round. A possible participation in the quarterfinals depends on the results on Tuesday, when the final group stage games of the 2026 IIHF World Championship take place.
Statistics for the game #GERGBR
Reactions to the game #GERGBR
National coach Harold Kreis: "Today it was important that we won the game. We started well and focused, but in the second period our play became a bit too complicated. In the end, we did the job today and got the three points. We've seen again at this tournament how important the little things are at this international level – just like the special teams. We were lacking goals in crucial moments. Now we'll wait and see what happens tomorrow."
Defender Leon Gawanke: “Our goal today was to get the three points to maintain a mathematical chance of reaching the quarterfinals. We certainly could have scored more goals. The British made it quite easy for us in the offensive zone, which we exploited well at the beginning of the game. Then we started passing more instead of shooting. That's how we lost some momentum.”
Defender and captain Moritz Seider: “We started the game well. But then we let up and allowed the British a few too many counterattacks. Our minimum goal today was to get the three points. We had set our sights higher in this group stage, though. We usually started the games very well, but then we repeatedly gave away too much or left too many opportunities on the table. Now we have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.”