Successful start to the World Cup
A violent throw at the last second makes the DHB team celebrate
November 30, 2023, 8:01 p.m
With a powerful throw in the final seconds, Xenia Smits ensures the victory that the German handball players had already carelessly given away at the start of the World Cup. The defense is shaky against outsiders Japan, and many technical errors make the game a tough one.
The German handball players started the World Cup in Scandinavia with a victory. Thanks to an increase in performance, the DHB selection won its opening game in Herning, Denmark against outsiders Japan 31:30 (18:17) and thus created a good starting position for the desired entry into the main round. The best German thrower was co-captain Alina Grijseels with seven hits.
The German national team received good news before kick-off. Backcourt player Xenia Smits, who missed the last World Cup test against Sweden due to a thigh injury, was able to play from the start. However, the DHB selection was initially unable to use their physical superiority to their advantage. Emily Bölk and Co. had their problems with the fast play of the agile Japanese women, who were on average ten centimeters shorter. After a temporary three-goal deficit, the Germans took the lead for the first time after a good ten minutes.
Increase in the second half
In a fast-paced game with many attacks and counter-attacks, the defense was the weak point in the German game. The agreements between the defensive players were not correct, and so the Asians kept dancing their way through the back rows. Thanks to some lack of concentration on the part of the Japanese, the DHB team, which was also shaky on offense, still went into the break with a one-goal lead.
Immediately after the restart, the DHB team pulled ahead by three goals for the first time. Germany created a goal threat, especially through the wing players Amelie Berger and Antje Döll. In addition, the defense was now more secure and forced the outsiders to lose the ball. Co-captain Grijseels was particularly accurate. The 27-year-old from top club HB Metz converted confidently both from the seven-meter point and from play.
Firecracker decides the tremor game
After around 42 minutes, Gaugisch’s team took the lead for the first time with four goals (25:21). The European Championship seventh-placed team initially managed their lead cleverly. Japan could hardly find any gaps through the German defense and had to take more and more risks. When everything looked like a confident victory, mistakes crept into the DHB team’s offensive game again – Gaugisch reacted with a time out, but the Japanese still managed to equalize around 15 seconds before the end. But then, seconds before the final siren, Xenia Smits scored with a powerful shot from the unusual half-right back position to secure an important victory for the German team.
“It’s not that we played a bad game. We were good. We did a lot of good things,” national coach Gaugisch praised his players and paid respect to the opponent: “Japan is difficult to defend. Very varied. You can see that the 16 weeks of the year go through their systems in a very disciplined manner”
Other opponents in the preliminary round are Iran on Saturday and Poland on Monday. The best three teams qualify for the second phase of the tournament, the main round. The declared goal of national coach Markus Gaugisch’s squad is to place in the top seven, which would ensure one of the coveted tickets for the Olympic qualifying tournament.