A bitter realization heightens the drama surrounding Drux
Paul Drux injured himself without opposing influence, has been missing his club Füchse Berlin for months and also has to worry about the home European Championship in 2024
Source: dpa/Johan Nilsson
The German national handball team causes disillusionment. After the hopeless appearance against Denmark and three hefty bankruptcies in a row, there is not much left of the World Cup euphoria eight months before the European Championships at home. To make matters worse, backcourt player Drux is seriously injured.
Gshocked by the injury drama surrounding Paul Drux and frustrated by the 23:32 swatter against European champions Sweden, the German handball players returned to the training camp in Berlin on Friday. The team of national coach Alfred Gislason does not have much time to come to terms with, because on Sunday (3.35 p.m., ARD) the duel with Spain, third in the World Cup, is due in the capital at the end of the Euro Cup.
Regardless of the absence of backcourt player Drux, who tore his Achilles tendon without opposition, will be missing for months and initially especially in the fight for the Bundesliga championship by second-placed Füchse Berlin, Gislason made an urgent appeal to his protégés in the dressing room immediately after the final whistle . “It will be our last game for the time being, and at home against Spain. I told the lads that I was expecting a completely different team, one that wasn’t as pressureless in the backcourt as we were in the first half,” said the 63-year-old Icelander before the return flight. It was a bitter realization that flanked the drama surrounding Drux.
The appearance on Thursday evening in Kristianstad relentlessly revealed the weaknesses of the DHB selection. The Fifth in the World Championships made 24 misses and thus had no chance, as in the last two duels with World Champion Denmark. “Everyone was motivated and willing to do better. But unfortunately the mistakes we made in the last few games in this competition were repeated. We simply had a poor completion rate and made too many simple technical mistakes,” analyzed captain Johannes Golla.
“Absolute tragedy,” says Hanning of Drux’s injury
A good eight months before the home European Championship, after three hefty bankruptcies in a row, not much was left of the World Cup euphoria. The game against Sweden also showed that the German team is still a long way from being among the best in the world. A painful realization made worse by Drux’s bad injury. “It completely overshadows this game. It’s extremely bitter for us to lose him for so long and I’m incredibly sorry for him,” said Gislason.
Drux’ club was also deeply affected. “This is an absolute tragedy first and foremost for Paul. It hurts my heart,” said Foxes Managing Director Bob Hanning. The Berliners are missing Drux in the fight for the first championship in the club’s history. Eight games before the end of the season, the team is tied in the table with 43:9 points with leader THW Kiel.
For the national team, meanwhile, the only small glimmer of hope was the international premiere of a quartet. Especially backfield player Renars Uscins from Bundesliga club TSV Hannover-Burgdorf was able to set accents and convince with five goals. “I was pleased with his performance,” Gislason said of the U21 captain. There was also praise from Golla: “Renars played a good game in the second half and at times made the result more bearable. He just goes for goal with confidence and brings his qualities to bear.”
Uscins, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Saturday, was not really happy about his successful debut. “It’s a lot of fun playing for Germany. But overall we cannot be satisfied. Then there is Paul’s injury. That was a shock to all players on the field. It wasn’t a good day for us,” he said.
Golla saw it similarly. “Of course, when a player is injured so badly, their heads are down,” said the DHB captain, describing the emotional state. A sense of achievement against Spain would be all the more important. “Our goal is to show a better performance. We should have the right not to leave the competition without a win,” appealed Golla.
