EM-Hauptrunde
Germany also wins the second main round game
The German national team defeated Norway at the European Handball Championships – thanks to a strong second half and goalkeeper Wolff. Now two absolute top teams are waiting.
Thanks to a world-class gala from goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, Germany’s handball players remain on track for the semi-finals of the European Championship. National coach Alfred Gislason’s team won against Norway 30:28 (15:17) and leads the table in Group 1 with 6:0 points.
In front of 10,117 spectators in Herning, backcourt player Marko Grgic was the best thrower with seven goals for the Olympic silver medalist, who had previously defeated Spain and Portugal in the finals. On Monday, the German team around the outstanding Wolff, who fended off more than 20 shots, will face a cracking duel with world champions and Olympic champions Denmark.
The team around world handball player Mathias Gidsel from German champions Füchse Berlin has 4:2 points after a 36:31 win against Spain and France. The defending champion had previously overrun Portugal 46:38 and will be the last opponent of the DHB selection in the second phase of the tournament next Wednesday.
Handball European Championship: DHB team against Norway with a false start
Thanks to the hard-fought victory against Norway led by superstar Sander Sagosen, the German team now has all the trump cards in its hand to fulfill their dream of reaching the semi-finals. But there needs to be a significant increase. Given the tight constellation, an early return home after the main round is still possible.
“We have to have fun and play our game,” demanded Gislason before kick-off. But that was easier said than done. As was the case recently against Portugal, the DHB team found it extremely difficult to attack. The best chances were missed in rows. There were also some technical errors.
Luckily, at least goalkeeper Andreas Wolff was wide awake from the start. But even the 34-year-old, despite a few brilliant saves, couldn’t prevent Germany from being three goals behind at 2:5 after nine minutes.
German usury of opportunities
The false start prompted the national coach to take an early break, but this initially had no effect, nor did the first personnel changes. The DHB selection slowly fought its way into the game and equalized at 8:8 (17th). At this point, Wolff had already fended off eight throws.
Franz Semper in particular was busy at the front. The Leipzig player proved to be a reliable enforcer from the backcourt and scored four times in this phase. However, the people around him continued to lack the necessary efficiency. So we went into the half-time break with a two-goal deficit.
Spectators celebrate Wolff’s outstanding performance
After the change, the festival of mistakes in the German attack initially continued. Only Wolff could be relied on. The 34-year-old repeatedly received applause from the spectators for his sometimes unbelievable rescue efforts and kept the DHB team in the game.
This finally rubbed off on the people in front of him in the middle of the second half. At 26:21 (49th), Germany suddenly led by five goals because backcourt player Grgic also exploited his potential for the first time in the tournament and gave the team additional security with his goals. So the DHB selection was able to celebrate at the end.
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