Handball-EM
Gislason takes responsibility for time-out mistake: “It’s fatal”
In a dramatic final phase against Serbia, the German equalizer didn’t count because the national coach pressed a button too early. What Captain Golla says about it and how the DHB team reacts.
Handball national coach Alfred Gislason has taken full responsibility for his momentous time-out mistake in the dramatic final phase against Serbia. “This is of course fatal from my point of view and is completely on me. I wanted to take the timeout when we were full. Unfortunately, I pressed a fraction of a second too early,” explained the Icelander after the German European Championship handball players’ surprising 27:30 defeat in the second preliminary round game.
What had happened? In the 58th minute, playmaker Juri Knorr had actually equalized the score to 26:26 when suddenly a loud sound rang out in the arena in Herning. Gislason had pressed the red buzzer on the sideline to call a timeout. However, Knorr’s ball was not yet over the goal line at this point. Gislason obviously didn’t expect a goal. “The time out was appropriate for the game. But that wasn’t the point. That’s what happens,” said Knorr.
Schluroff: “No blame on the coach”
Captain Johannes Golla also defended his coach. The pivot spoke of an unfavorable and annoying situation, but it was not decisive for the game. “Alfred wanted to take the time-out before the timeout came. He actually caught a good moment. Nobody could have predicted that Juri would intuitively come in at exactly that moment. He immediately apologized for it during the time-out,” Golla reported.
According to teammate Miro Schluroff, the situation fit into the overall picture of the second half. After a good first half, the second 30 minutes were marked by mistakes in attacking play. The defense was also no longer as compact as it was in the test games against Croatia or at the European Championship opener against Austria. “But no blame on the coach, that can always happen,” said Schluroff.
dpa
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