After their first participation in Malta in 2019 and two cancelled tournaments due to the health situation (Oslo in 2020, Alanya in 2021), the Luxembourg Hockey Club (LHC) Men's team was looking forward to the resumption of the European Hockey Championship, this time in Gibraltar.

LHC headed to the British Overseas Territory with an experienced team of players under the leadership of their interim coach, Hugues Damilot, who carried the LHC team throughout with boundless enthusiasm.

Given the recent elevation to the European "Challenge II" level, the minimum objective was to keep the club in the division, but the players were hungry for more and wanted to shine on the European stage. This ambition was clear from the first match against the home team Eagles Hockey Club from Gibraltar.

From the moment they arrived at the beautiful hockey stadium, the tension was palpable : a spectacular pre-match ceremony and an atmosphere galvanized by fans, all under a blazing sun and a unique backdrop with "The Rock of Gibraltar" in the background and the airport runway next to the pitch… There was plenty to be impressed by. However, LHC remained determined and focused on their task.

Although the visiting team was almost stunned in the opening minutes by the frantic pace of the Eagles (cheered on by the crowd of home fans), the team quickly regained control and had the best opportunities to take the lead during the first half. However, the score remained neutral at half-time (0-0).

Shortly after the restart and against the run of play, the Eagles opened the score from a penalty corner. A few minutes later, Milan Dans, the experienced striker from Luxembourg, equalized on a PC with a beautiful trademark deflection.

Having to finish the game with 9 players, LHC suffered… The Eagles took advantage of the local support to launch the heavy artillery and ended up getting a penalty stroke two minutes before the final whistle. Final score 2-1. Luxembourg deserved much better than a defeat in this match...

Any rest was short-lived for LHC as the next day they had to face the tournament favourites, HAHK Mladlost from Zagreb. With Luxembourg looking to make up for the disappointment of the previous game and a very enthusiastic Croatian team making their debut in the tournament, the match was going to be tough.

The LHC players quickly felt the fatigue of the previous day's battle... their legs were heavy, their movements less fluid and their play more disorganised. On the other hand the Croatians showed all their vivacity and technical mastery. The Zagreb team opened the score in the 2nd quarter, but quickly after Olivier Willame equalized with a well placed drag flick into the lower right corner of the goal from a penalty corner.

The LHC continued to resist the Croatian pressure until the last quarter, but finally the freshness told at the end of the game. Final score 5-2.

After a well-deserved day of recovery, a victory on the last day in a third game in four days against Roslagens IF from Sweden was essential to ensure survival in Challenge II.

A decisive match with two faces. Luxembourg started the game nervously, not being able to find any penetration in the face of a well-established Swedish defence. The score was tied at half-time.

At the end of the second half, it was a completely different Luxembourg that took the field : a united, serious and liberated team. The score was clear: 6-0 (goals from Milan Dans (3), Ebrahim Mukhtar (1), Arnaud Debeaumont (1) and William Coppens (1)).

LHC retained their place with some style in the "Club Challenge II" division and returns home proud of their performances... Just like the LHC Ladies team which, greatly diminished in numbers, fought bravely during the European championship taking place almost simultaneously in Turkey.

The continued participation of Luxembourg's Men's and Women's teams in European competitions is a reflection of how much field hockey has grown in Luxembourg and fills us with optimism and ambition for future European competitions…