Alfred Gislason was visibly served after the next lesson for Germany’s handball players. The long and frighteningly weak performance of his team at 23:32 (8:16) against European champions Sweden was one thing – but Paul Drux’s serious injury shocked even the hardened Gislason.
The Berlin backcourt player fell to the ground screaming during an offensive action without opponents and left the field after 34 minutes, supported by team manager Oliver Roggisch. First examinations confirmed the worst fears: Achilles tendon rupture! “It’s a huge tragedy for Paul,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer: “It’s the worst thing that could happen to an athlete.”
In terms of sport, the German team suffered their next major setback in Sweden. Captain Johannes Golla and Co. had practically no chance against the World Cup fourth a good eight months before the home European Championship in 2024. “We didn’t achieve our goal of keeping up in terms of results and creating an exciting and successful game,” Kromer analyzed angrily: “I have little to say today that makes me happy.” That’s true on Sunday (3:35 p.m. / ARD). German team in Berlin at the end of the EHF Euro Cup on Spain, third at the World Championships – and has the chance to make amends.
Fifth defeat
In a German team that acted erratically from the start, only Andreas Wolff was convincing on Thursday evening. With his saves, the 2016 European champion prevented an even clearer deficit in the first section. Only after the break did Germany, who want to play for the medals at the European Championships at home, get into the game better.
The best German throwers on Thursday evening in front of 4,716 spectators were 20-year-old Renars Uscins, one of four international debutants, and captain Johannes Golla, each with five goals.
For the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) it was the fifth defeat in the fifth game of the EHF Euro Cup. In March, the two duels with world champion Denmark (23:30 and 21:28) were lost, and the DHB team also failed to score in the first leg against Sweden (33:37) and Spain (31:32). .
Gislason had called on his team after the bad performance against Denmark before the game: “I hope for an improvement in all areas.” But Golla and Co. did not comply with this request. As against the Danes, the German attack was particularly problematic. A number of misthrows and technical errors invited the Swedes to counterattack – and drove Gislason on the palm of his hand. “We need a bit more concentration up front,” warned the Icelander during his first time-out when the score was 3:7.
But because the defense against the savvy Scandinavians around Flensburg’s playmaker Jim Gottfridsson had little access, the game was already decided at the break. After all: The German team didn’t give away the game, even if the result was clear in the end. And the 20-year-old Uscins showed his class with cheeky actions.
