Crazy handball thriller: two stupid things, one drama, many tears

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Crazy handball thriller
Two stupid things, one drama, lots of tears

By Michael Wilkening, Cairo

The quarter-finals at the World Cup between Denmark and Egypt will be one of the most spectacular, the craziest, the most extraordinary games in handball history. In the end, the favorite cheers because the outsider robs himself of the sensation in the very last second through a folly.

It is not possible to describe such a handball game in a few sentences. There were too many errors, twists and turns, so that one can only reproduce a part of what happened. Nevertheless, Ali Zein and his award for the best player in a crazy duel is a good way to describe the absurdity of the quarter-finals of the World Cup between host Egypt and defending champions Denmark.

Zein, the backcourt player of the Egyptians, received a certificate as "Best Player" for his strong performance and didn't know where to go with his grief. The huge curly-haired head was crying, he kept pulling his jersey over his face, he wanted the situation, he wanted to escape this hall – and yet should be proud of his own performance. It didn't work, however, because Zein had thrown the decisive seven-meter throw in a game that is one of the most dramatic in the history of handball.

Denmark won in the end 39:38 after a seven-meter throw, in the two extensions first the Danes and later the Egyptians gave up the victory they believed to be safe due to dropouts. At the very end, luck – and Zein's mistake – decided that the Egyptians' fairytale journey at the World Cup in their own country came to an end.

"Never seen anything like it"

"I thought we were out already, but then we got another chance," said Niklas Landin. The world-class goalkeeper of the Danes had defused Zein's throw from seven meters, but was surprised that it had come that far. In the second extra time the Egyptians were leading 35:34, there were only a few seconds to play and the Danes had a free throw. The chance that he would find his way into the goal was minimal, but Ismail El-Masry's nerves played a trick. He hindered the shooter Mathias Gidsel in such a way that the referees from North Macedonia had no choice but to show El-Masry the red card in accordance with the rules and award the Danes a seven-meter throw: Magnus Landin scored at 35:35 in the last second.

At the end of the first extension there was a similar situation on the other side. Denmark led by one goal, were in possession of the ball, seven seconds from the end the Danes were close to victory when Mikkel Hansen threw the game device in the direction of the stands after the referee decided that the game was delayed and therefore the whistle had blown. For something like this, the rules provide for a red card and a seven-meter for the opponent in the final 30 seconds. Mikkel Hansen, the genius playmaker of the Danes, the two-time world handball player of the year, had lost his nerve in an important situation. Mohammad Sanad scored from the seven meter line to 34:34, the drama continued. "I've never experienced anything like this before," said Niklas Landin, a highly decorated goalkeeper from THW Kiel.

Even in an almost deserted hall, emotional exceptional situations can lead to mistakes by individual actors, even the best are not immune from this. In the Cairo Arena, handball made the best possible publicity in its own right. Roberto Parrondo was aware of this, although the Egyptian coach initially felt no joy.

The Spaniard had made the World Cup host a serious contender for the medal round. Parrondo formed a team that brought the world champions to the verge of defeat. The 41-year-old won the Champions League with RK Vardar Skopje in 2019, although the North Macedonian club was already in the process of disbanding because the patron announced his withdrawal. Then he succumbed to the call of the Egyptian Association and has since developed a team that had not played a major role at the World Championships recently. At the World Cup two years ago in Germany and Denmark it was enough for eighth place, 2017 (13th), 2015 (14th) and 2013 (16th) the Egyptians were far from being a serious competitor for the best European nations be. The North Africans were a pawn for the top teams.

More than mentality

That has changed even though the host was not whipped forward by 16,000 fanatical compatriots in his games. No spectators are allowed in the gigantic Cairo Arena due to the corona pandemic, so the cheers from some volunteers have to be enough as verbal support. However, the players managed to kindle the emotions that carried them through the tournament by themselves.

The North African mentality is not the explanation for the success so far. Parrondo has also given the team a clear play mandate. Physically, the Egyptians are at least equal to the teams from Europe, all backcourt players develop a remarkable force. In the interplay it becomes noticeable that the trainer could intensively prepare his selection despite the pandemic in the past months. The Egyptians were ready for the World Cup in their own country. Now they feel ready for the next big event in a few months.

"I believe in us," said Mohammad Sanad. After the dramatic game, the right wing rallied faster than his colleagues: "We will prepare well for the Olympic Games." In Tokyo, Egypt is no longer an outsider, it is a serious competitor for the big teams from Europe.