Hockey World Cup: German men come from behind in 62 seconds to reach semifinals

Germany's men's national hockey team has advanced to the World Cup semifinals after a dramatic 4-2 victory over Australia. The win in Wavre, Belgium, secured their place in the final four, with coach André Henning describing the performance as "the brightest madness" and their best of the tournament.

The defending champions needed a win to guarantee a spot in the semifinals, especially after a previous loss to Spain. They found themselves trailing early against Australia after Blake Govers scored in the third minute. However, Hannes Müller and Michel Struthoff quickly turned the tide, scoring their first tournament goals within just 62 seconds to take a 2-1 lead.

Justus Warweg extended Germany's lead to 3-1 in the second quarter. Australia managed to pull one back just before halftime through Joel Rintala, making the score 3-2. Hugo von Montgelas then converted a penalty corner in the third quarter to seal the 4-2 victory for Germany.

Their semifinal opponent will be determined on Monday, with the Netherlands, Argentina, England, and India still in contention. Meanwhile, the German women's hockey team's World Cup dreams have ended. They lost their intermediate round match 1-3 to co-host Belgium, failing to secure the necessary second place in Group F. Captain Linnea Weidemann attributed the loss partly to the overwhelming atmosphere of playing in front of a large, loud crowd.