It’s not often that the German women’s national handball team can look forward to five-figure spectator numbers, and the players were correspondingly enthusiastic on “Handball Day” in the Munich Olympic Hall: “It’s not an everyday occurrence for us, in front of such a great backdrop to play,” said Emily Bölk. The 25-year-old plays for Ferencvaros Budapest and was the best German thrower with six goals in the 29:25 win in the friendly against Hungary.
“The important thing was that we won,” said Xenia Smits, but the opponent also showed a few weaknesses in the German game. A positive mood and an orientation as to what needs to be worked on are important, especially because of the upcoming World Cup in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, said the 29-year-old, the most experienced in the squad with 101 international matches.
Germany will enter the tournament on November 30th with a game against Japan, other opponents are Iran and Poland. National coach Markus Gaugisch was also happy about “an amazing experience in front of such a backdrop” and the performance of his players. He saw a few too many missed throws, but he was still satisfied: “Only victories give us the confidence to start a series.” Ideally at the World Cup.
