Handball-EM
Don’t be afraid of your feared opponent: handball players “want everything”
After the win against France, the German handball players are dreaming of European Championship gold. The hopeful throws himself into a frenzy before the semi-finals. However, the defense chief is worried.
Miro Schluroff didn’t even try using phrases that are standard in the industry. The German handball national player neither wanted to watch from game to game nor score more goals than his opponent. “We want to become European champions. There’s nothing more to say,” the powerful backcourt player explained unequivocally after the first European Championship victory over France since 1998.
The ultimately confident 38:34 against the defending champions should only be a stopover on the way to the first European Championship medal since the 2016 title. “It’s nice to get to the semi-finals, but clearly that’s not enough for us now,” explained national coach Alfred Gislason. Sports director Ingo Meckes put it this way: “We want everything now. The great pressure is gone.”
After the “group of death” comes the feared opponent
In the fight for the final, feared opponents Croatia await on Friday (5.45 p.m./ARD/Dyn). Top favorites Denmark and Iceland will contest the other semi-final. “We survived the so-called group of death to now be able to play against the runners-up,” said goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, summing up the tricky task. Immediately before the European Championships, Germany’s handball players ended their series of defeats in direct duels with two test match victories. But former national coach Dagur Sigurdsson’s team is a tournament team.
“They will perform completely differently. The Croatians live from their emotions and always outgrow themselves, especially in tournaments. They will compete with cleverness and physical dominance,” announced Wolff. The 34-year-old knows from his own experience that Germany struggles with the Croatian style of play. Wolff was on the floor when the DHB team lost 26:31 at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Germany is worried about its defense chief
In order to stand up to the force of the attack, the deployment of defense chief Tom Kiesler would be immensely important. The sick European Championship debutant was missing against France. “When we left the hotel, he was puking every quarter of an hour. He has gastrointestinal problems. I hope, of course, that we can get him to play in two days and not infect anyone. He was roommates with Miro Schluroff. So we’ll look at Schluroff first,” explained Gislason, describing Kiesler as the best German defender in the tournament so far.
Knorr’s tournament breakthrough: “One class better”
What should give Germany courage: With playmaker Juri Knorr, the last DHB professional has finally arrived in the tournament. Ten goals against France after previously disappointing performances should mark the tournament breakthrough. “When he gets into the flow, he makes us a class better,” Renars Uscins praised his teammate. Gislason said: “Today he played the best game I’ve ever seen from him against such a nation.”
Knorr, on the other hand, did not skimp on self-criticism even after his top performance. “I felt pretty fooled. Nothing works for three games and suddenly every cucumber throw goes in,” said the playmaker and shook his head in disbelief.
Uscins warns: “Don’t take a deep breath”
It is the third semi-final that Germany has reached with an almost identical squad. At the home European Championships two years ago, they ended up in an ungrateful fourth place. There was silver at the Olympics – what now? “We don’t want to rest on our laurels, we want to take the next step. We’re not done yet,” announced captain Johannes Golla promisingly.
At the start of the tournament, very few people would have predicted that Germany would suddenly be one of the four best teams in Europe. After the surprising defeat against Serbia, the promising selection was threatened with a historic tournament exit in the preliminary round – and Gislason with an early end as national coach.
Ten days later, no one is talking about a European Championship debacle anymore. Suddenly the Olympic silver medalist is planning a gold coup. “Of course we want the title. It will be crucial that we keep up the pressure and not take a breath. The tension has to stay at the top. We don’t need to fall into great euphoria,” Uscins appealed to his teammates and explained: “We are not afraid.”
dpa
