Handball EM
“We are able to keep up. But at some point you have to show that you are better.”
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In the end there were too many gaps in the defense: Germany lost to France at the end of the preliminary round
Source: AFP/ODD ANDERSEN
Germany’s handball players suffer the first setback at the home European Championships. Alfred Gíslason’s seven kept up for a long time against Olympic champions France, but in the end they made too many mistakes. Now the main round is about the semi-finals.
Fought, sometimes shone and yet won nothing: Germany’s handball players failed their first maturity test at the home European Championships despite a strong performance and had to accept the first dampener in their mood. The team of national coach Alfred Gíslason lost the last preliminary round duel against Olympic champions France with 30:33 (15:17) on Tuesday evening and goes into the main round as second in the group without a plus point, where they are under a lot of pressure in the fight for a place in the semi-finals.
“We were in the game at the end, but the French are very broad and physically strong. We were perhaps a little tired at the end,” said national coach Gíslason on ARD after the game. “Andi Wolff was great in goal, but the French deserved to win.” Timo Kastening saw it similarly. “The French were able to play their game better and better as the game went on. We struggled to put our stamp on the game. I think we can play better,” said the international after the game. “We are definitely capable of keeping up with France, but at some point you have to show that you are better.”
At the start of the second phase of the tournament, the DHB selection will meet Iceland on Thursday in Cologne. “The day after tomorrow it will be a very special game for me,” said Icelander Gíslason, referring to the upcoming opponent: “My family with father, brothers, everyone is there. I’m very excited to see whether they are for Germany or Iceland.” The first two in the group of six will win the ticket for the semi-finals. Other opponents are Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
Germany goalkeeper Andreas Wolff made strong saves, but could not prevent the first defeat of the tournament
Source: dpa/Sören Stache
In front of 13,571 fans in the sold-out Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, many of whom whistled at the political celebrities present around Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), Juri Knorr was the best thrower for the DHB with eight goals -Selection. Due to the first tournament defeat, they missed revenge for the bitter 28:35 in the World Cup quarter-finals a year ago and also missed a good starting position for the rest of the medal mission.
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“We have to play one of our best games of late,” Gislason had demanded before the game and at the same time confirmed: “Everyone is looking forward to this game and knows what they can do.” And his charges delivered at the start. In goal, veteran Andreas Wolff was immediately hot and parried the French’s first three throws. His front men took advantage of this to take a quick 3-0 lead.
But last year’s World Cup runners-up, who had a number of world-class players, were just as unimpressed by this as they were by the loud crowd. The title contender slowly worked his way into the game and was ahead for the first time after eleven minutes at 7:6. Veteran star Nikola Karabatic came on midway through the first half and posed a new threat from the backcourt. The 39-year-old, who won three Olympic gold medals as well as four World Cup and three European Championship titles in his illustrious career, demonstrated his class in a number of actions.
France pulls away in the final phase
But the German team also had a lot to offer. Director Knorr in particular was a constant source of trouble. “Every time I play against the French with their world-class players, I think: awesome, awesome, awesome. I want to show that I can keep up,” Knorr announced.
And he kept his word, even if not everything worked out. The 23-year-old from cup winners Rhein-Neckar Löwen was both an assist provider and an enforcer and continually drove the German game forward. So it remained a duel of equals, especially since Germany had another goalkeeper ace up their sleeve in David Späth. The U21 world champion saved two seven-meter penalties in the first half, causing further emotions on the floor and in the stands.
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And yet the DHB team went into the break with a two-goal deficit because there were some slight and unnecessary mistakes in the final phase of the first half. “It’s an incredible fighting game with an insane pace. We still have every chance and we have to believe in it,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer during the half-time break.
Things didn’t look like that at the start again, as the French even pulled ahead by four goals. But Germany stuck with it and didn’t let the favorites get away. Ten minutes before the end everything was still open at 27:27. But in the final phase the cleverness and the necessary bit of luck were missing.
