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Handball World Cup 2023: The good Wolff – German goalkeeper inspires imagination

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The good wolf

German handball players storm brilliantly into the World Cup quarterfinals – the highlights in the video

The German national team advances to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Despite initial difficulties, there is a sovereign victory against the Netherlands in the end. Andreas Wolff shines in the German goal. The highlights in the video.

Germany’s goalkeeper is the main support for his team in the premature entry into the quarter-finals of the Handball World Championship. For the first time since the European Championship triumph in 2016, Andreas Wolff is back at a world class level – and fuels the imagination before the duel with Norway.

AWhen he had finished the interview marathon 25 minutes after the final whistle, Andres Wolff said goodbye with a little joke. “My back hurts from standing around here,” he said, laughed and disappeared into the dressing room.

However, in contrast to the opening game against Qatar, in which the goalkeeper had contracted a calf strain, in the German entourage they don’t have to seriously worry about further appearances by Wolff at the Handball World Championships in Poland and Sweden this time. He was just once again the most sought-after man after the end of the game – and was willing to provide information. About his repeated world-class performance, about reaching the quarter-finals early and about the path that the young team can still take in the global title fights.

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In the second main round game it was Wolff who paved the way for his team to a sovereign 33:26 (15:12) over the Netherlands. He saved 17 of his opponent’s 40 throws (three of them from seven meters) and achieved a rate of 42.5 percent saved balls – an absolute world class value.

“It takes a load off my mind”

Doubts had arisen beforehand as to whether the hero of the 2016 European Championship triumph would finally be able to consistently compete in a tournament at a very high level, he confirmed this in every encounter with the exception of the game against Serbia. With the good Wolff in the back, the German national team not only managed to get through to the knockout stage early with their fifth win in the fifth World Cup game. He and the two 22-year-old youngsters, Juri Knorr and Julian Köster, are fueling the fantasy that the World Championships might even end with a medal.

42.5 percent of shots on his goal parried: Andreas Wolff during the game against the Netherlands

42.5 percent of shots on his goal parried: Andreas Wolff during the game against the Netherlands

Quelle: picture alliance / firo Sportphoto / NEWSPIX

“That was another courageous performance. We had more heart than the Dutch,” said Wolff after the game. “It’s a relief for me that we’ve already achieved our first goal. Of course, only now do the really tough opponents come along. We play against Norway, then against France or Spain. These are three teams that are undisputedly among the best in the world. It will now show how far we have come with our young and inexperienced team. We hope that we can prove against Norway that we are on the right track to one day being one of the best teams in the world.”

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The World Cup runner-up from 2017 and 2019 is the next opponent for the Germans in Katowice this Monday evening (8:30 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker). Because the Norwegians have also marched through with 8-0 points so far and are already qualified for the quarter-finals, there could be a tactical skirmish about which opponent they prefer to play against in the knockout round on Wednesday in Gdansk: France or Spain are the options.

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In the national team camp, however, they don’t want to openly indulge in such thoughts and instead want to maintain the flow in which they played themselves in the global title fights. “So far things have been really fun in Katowice,” says Wolff, who has been under contract with top Polish club KS Kielce since 2019 and lives just 120 kilometers from the venue. “Of course, the goal is still to win every game. It’s important that we recover and then go into the final match of the main round with full power and commitment.”

“Phenomenal Performance”

The 31-year-old goalkeeper was in complete agreement with his boss, who was initially pleased with the strong performance in the game: “It was an extremely nice atmosphere,” said Alfred Gislason. “We did what we hoped to be able to do: We smashed the Dutch with their attack, which is extremely fast and agile.” That was a phenomenal performance by Johannes Golla, Julian Köster, Christoph Steinert and Juri Knorr been on the defensive. “And then of course there is a performance like that of Andi Wolff, who became more and more confident and showed a tremendous performance,” says Gislason.

Wetzlar, Germany January 09, 2022: DHB men test match, EHF European Championship 2022, Germany vs. France v.l.r.  Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff (Germany / Kielce), coach Alfred Gislason (Germany)

Andreas Wolff (left) with national coach Alfred Gislason

Quelle: picture alliance / Marco Wolf

The national coach was asked whether he had a preference with regard to the quarter-final opponent. “I don’t care, I haven’t watched them yet,” he said. “Spain is an extremely ripped off team, incredibly experienced. They are missing the first right winger, otherwise they have the whole team there. They are man to man and very good in terms of play. France has incredible power from behind. Both are world-class teams that can win the title here.”

This also applies to the last main round opponent Norway to superstar Sander Sagosen. “Germany is a very, very good team that has played well so far,” explained the backcourt player from THW Kiel: “Every position is well filled, Juri Knorr is in a good mood in this tournament, the defense is very strong.” He is particularly looking forward to the duel with Rune Dahmke, who is not only in a relationship with his club colleague, but also with Sagosen’s sister-in-law Stine Bredal Oftedal. “We go onto the field, fight like pigs and then we’re like brothers again,” said Norway’s world star, “that’s how it is in our sport.”

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