Germany’s handball players are threatened with an early exit from the European Championships. The team of national coach Alfred Gíslason lost the second preliminary round game against Serbia with 27:30 (17:13) and now has 2:2 points like his rival.
In front of 9,180 spectators in Herning, Denmark, backcourt players Renārs Uščins and Miro Schluroff were the best throwers with six goals each for the Olympic silver medalist, who beat Austria 30:27 at the start.
Germany initially led clearly at the break, but lost control of the game after the break and, despite a brief lead, were behind again in the final phase at 25:24 five minutes before the end. Serbia consistently took advantage of the defensive vulnerability of the DHB selection as well as numerous missed throws and technical errors in the German attack and won the game in the last minutes.
Germany has to prevail against Spain on Monday
“We did a good first half – especially in defense,” said coach Gíslason on ARD. “In the second half we didn’t do a good job of defending, but above all we made far too many mistakes up front. We had too many missed throws against a good goalkeeper,” Gíslason continued. That’s why we couldn’t win the game.
In the fight for a place in the second phase of the tournament, the DHB selection will face Spain on Monday. The two-time European champions lead Group A with 4-0 points. If Serbia prevails against Austria beforehand, the DHB selection absolutely needs a win to advance.
