The weather cooperated on the beautiful grounds of Berliner HC at the weekend. And the Ernst-Reuter-Sportfeld, with an additional grandstand opposite the covered main grandstand, offered a very attractive setting for the games of the two German teams in the Pro League against Argentina.

There are rarely so many spectators in Berlin at a hockey event. 3,000 visitors were treated to good entertainment on both days at the games in the league, which the world association had immodestly but also aptly advertised as “Best League in the World” on its banners around the stadium.

The German women didn’t do as well as the men in the two games against the South Americans. The team of trainer Valentin Altenburg lost on Saturday and Sunday, while the men were able to prevail twice, but once there was only the extra point in the shootout.

On Saturday, the German women were able to resist the undefeated leaders of the Pro League and lost only 1:2. Viktoria Huse scored the goal for Germany from a penalty corner. “That’s exactly how I want to lose with my team,” Altenburg said.

Charlotte Stapenhorst, forward from the Zehlendorfer Wespen, was impressed by the “hammer backdrop” and the “hammer setting” in Berlin. “Nevertheless, we lost 2-1, that’s not great.” After conceding two very early goals, things went a bit worse for the Germans on Sunday. Her team continues to rank fourth in the global league.

For the men it was more spectacular in the duels between third and second in the table: Coach André Henning’s team won 6:3 against the South Americans on Saturday. The goals for the Germans were scored by Tom Grambusch, Raphael Hartkopf, Thies Prinz twice and Gonzalo Peillat twice after penalty corners.

On Sunday, at the end of Zehlendorf’s great hockey days, after a 1-1 draw, the men still managed to win 4-2 in the shootout; National coach Henning found: “The boys really advertised us with their spectacular performance.”