Germany’s indoor stranglehold is over – at least for one year – but few would have predicted Sweden’s Partille SC making history.
Partille partied after becoming Sweden’s first EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup champions as they stunned hosts SV Arminen in the final in Vienna.
The Gothenburg-based side had edged through the group stages on goal difference after their 6-6 draw with AH&BC Amsterdam and 8-2 win over Rot-Weiss Wettingen, coupled with a high-scoring 8-6 loss to UHC Hamburg.
And the Swedes rose to the occasion in the semi-finals with a 4-3 win over Dinamo Stroitel to set up a final against Arminen, who eliminated German favourites UHC in a shoot-out.
In the final, Partille played a brilliant set-piece game and prevailed 3-1 in the final to get the party started in Vienna.
Arminen’s defeat of UHC in the semi-finals meant that it was only the third time in European history that there was no German team in the final.
In the women’s European finale in Hamburg, Dutch side LMHC Laren beat Russian champions Dinamo Elektrostal 3-1.
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