Germany – Croatia 31:28 (17:15)
In the semi-finals of the European Handball Championship, Germany faced off against Croatia prevailed with 31:28 (17:15). The German Handball Federation (DHB) team will be playing for its first European Championship title in ten years on Sunday. In the final, the Olympic silver medalist meets the reigning world champion and Olympic champion Denmark. The Danes beat Iceland 31:28 (14:13) in the second semi-final game of the evening.
In front of 15,000 spectators in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, Denmark, Lukas Zerbe was the DHB team’s best thrower with six goals. The German team, which has already secured its fifth European Championship medal, once again showed a great team performance in the semi-finals. The defense around goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, who was once again strong, caused the Croatians to despair in the second half. In attack, playmaker Juri Knorr and his teammates went into a frenzy with speed and overview.
After a balanced initial phase, the DHB team was able to pull away slightly towards the end of the first half and take a two-goal lead into the break. Cyclist Julius Fischer said on ARD during the half-time break: “Relatively a lot” of the plan is working out. “This is a very good starting point for the second half.”
At the start of the second half, one of the German team’s best phases at this European Championship began. Johannes Golla gave the team a six-goal lead at 22:16 in the 37th minute of the game. However, the Germans’ game became more erratic and error-prone towards the end of the game. The Croatians came close again to 28:30. With the medal firmly in sight, the German team mobilized new strength, especially in defense, in the eighth game within 16 days and defended their lead until the final whistle.
“It was a phenomenal performance from everyone”
National coach Alfred Gíslason said on ARD after the game: “I’m extremely proud of the boys. It was a phenomenal performance from everyone, everyone played very well.” He added: “We could have won it more. But I’m extremely proud that they pulled it off.”
National player Julian Köster said: “The team is really excited.” For his teammate Zerbe, it was “a great team performance over 60 minutes.” Looking ahead to the final on Sunday, he said: “We’re happy today, recovering well and then looking forward to the final.”
Knorr defends criticism of the Croatian coach
After the game, German playmaker Knorr commented on Croatia’s coach Dagur Sigurdsson’s criticism of the European Handball Championship schedule. “I fully support Dagur Sigurdsson with his statement,” said the 25-year-old. “He brought up a lot of points on which I would only agree with him. Of course it wasn’t ideal for them today, and that was certainly crucial today. Of course the forces play a role.”
On Thursday, Sigurdsson, who coached the DHB selection from 2014 to 2017 and won the European Championship with the team in 2016, gave a remarkable monologue at a press conference in which he denounced the tight schedule and travel strains for his team. Unlike Germany, Croatia played two games within two days at the end of the main round and had to travel from Malmö to Herning on the non-game Thursday.
Merz and Steinmeier congratulate
After the game there were also prominent congratulations to the German handball team: Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote on Instagram: “Congratulations on reaching the final. We are proud of you and keep our fingers crossed.”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz also commented on social networks: “Final – what a great game! Our national team is in the European Championship final after a strong tournament,” said the CDU leader. “Congratulations. I’m looking forward to the final on Sunday in the hall.”
