Handball World Cup Germany: national coach raves about his substitute goalkeeper

Status: 8:34 p.m | Reading time: 2 minutes

Nfter the premature entry into the main round of the World Cup, Germany’s handball players danced in circles with joy. Even the otherwise rather reserved Alfred Gislason jumped arm in arm with his players with a broad smile and described himself as a “very happy national coach”. With the 34:33 against strong Serbs, the DHB selection with an outstanding goalkeeper Joel Birlehm not only made it perfect for the next phase of the tournament, but also passed the first endurance test at the World Cup.

“We knew how important this game was and what that meant for our starting position. That’s why I’m very happy to win against a very strong Serbian team,” Gislason enthused on ARD and praised keeper Birlehm. “He was really outstanding. He showed his strengths especially in the closing stages.”

In the final preliminary round game on Tuesday (6 p.m. / ZDF) against Algeria, the third win should ensure the optimal number of points for the next phase of the tournament. Left winger Lukas Mertens with seven goals and captain Johannes Golla (6) were the best throwers in Gislason’s team.

“It is very important that the second man is good.”

However, Golla identified goalkeeper Birlehm as the decisive factor in the victory. “I do believe that Joel will win the game for us in the last 15 minutes because he has a few spares,” said the captain. “Of course you’re proud now, the atmosphere here is great. Now we still have a group game, which of course we have to win.”

Birlehm emphasized the importance of working with fellow goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, who recently struggled with calf problems. “Of course it’s easier when you form a team with a goalkeeper like Andi Wolff, that’s much, much less pressure,” he said. “We’re going to continue as before. We now have two wins, but we cannot sit idle.”

also read

Wolff was in goal at the beginning, but didn’t find his way into the game as well as he did against the Qataris. Five minutes before the break, Gislason sent the second goalkeeper Birlehm onto the plate. The substitute goalkeeper got stronger as the game went on and secured victory for the DHB selection with his saves in the final phase. “It is very important that the second man is good. Joel coming in so well is very important,” said Gislason.