The German handball players disappoint in the preliminary round of the European Championship, but they get off to a good start in the main round: they win against world champions the Netherlands. The next two games are not only about the semi-finals, but also about 2024.
Germany's handball players kept the small hope of reaching the semi-finals at the European Championship alive. The team of national coach Markus Gaugisch won in the first game of the main round with 36:28 (17:13) against 2019 world champions Netherlands. The selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) still needs a small miracle to get ahead.
In front of 389 spectators in Skopje, captain Alina Grijseels was the best German thrower with eight goals. The Gaugisch team showed a lot of improvement after the disappointing first round. With a defeat, Germany would definitely have missed the round of the last four. Nevertheless, the worst placement in a major tournament since 13th place at the European Championships twelve years ago is still looming.
"That was important for the team," said Gaugisch, visibly relieved, and added: "It's a reward for what we invested. There were a lot of things that were marked with a clear pear. That was really strong."
With 2:4 points, the DHB selection from the final games against Olympic champions France on Tuesday (8.30 p.m.) and Romania on Wednesday (3.30 p.m./both Sportdeutschland.tv) needs two wins if possible to still have a chance of reaching the semifinals. The top two teams in the group of six advance to the semi-finals. Third place would qualify for the fifth place play-off, which could be important with a view to a possible qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The handball players won the only medal at a European championship in the first edition in 1994, the last time they were on the podium at a major event was when they won the bronze medal at the 2007 World Cup. "We are not happy with the performance in the preliminary round," said DHB sports director Axel Kromer said before the game. After defeats against Spain and Montenegro, the Germans took a mortgage of 0:4 points into the main round. "It's a disappointment for us," said Kromer.
After initial difficulties, Emily Bölk's team got better and better into the chaotic game, which was characterized by many time penalties. Thanks to a four-goal run, the enthusiastic DHB team took the lead for the first time (14th) and extended it until the break. The Dutch women kept bouncing off the German cover.
In the second half, too, the German team initially showed no nerves. Grijseels cleverly built up the attacks, the defense was stable. Germany often benefited from the opponent's simple turnovers and pulled away in the closing stages.
(This article was first published on Friday, November 11, 2022.)
