Third victory for Gislason: German handball players confidently on course for the European Championship

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Update
Third win for Gislason
German handball players confidently on course for the European Championship

Third victory in the third game for handball national trainer Alfred Gislason: The German handball players won a victory shortly before the World Cup in Egypt. The game against Austria is never really in danger, the Gislason team can already make the EM qualification clear in the next game.

EM ticket in front of eyes, World Cup stress test passed: the German handball players a week before the start of the World Cup in Egypt made people want more. The newly formed DHB team of national coach Alfred Gislason won the European Championship qualification in Graz with 36:27 (22:16) against Austria and was particularly convincing on the offensive.

The left winger, safe from the seven meter line, Marcel Schiller was the best thrower at the ghost game in Styria with eleven hits for the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB), which after their third win in the third game almost got the ticket for the European Championship 2022 in Hungary and Slovakia safe in your pocket. In addition, the goalkeeper duo Andreas Wolff and Johannes Bitter convinced with a number of saves.

"Are on the right track"

Already on Sunday (6.10 p.m. / ARD), the DHB team will meet the neighboring country again in Cologne, another victory would mean early European Championship qualification. The game is also the dress rehearsal for the mega tournament on the Nile, where the DHB selection, despite the cancellations of seven regular employees, is dreaming of the big hit. As expected, Gislason tested 6-0 coverage with Johannes Golla from Flensburg and Erlangen's Sebastian Firnhaber in the inner block at the beginning of the game in Graz. On the left wing, Schiller surprisingly played instead of captain Uwe Gensheimer. "We are on the right track, and I think you saw that today," said Golla on ZDF.

The game got off to a tough start. After a time penalty against Golla, Germany was outnumbered early on, but also allowed the opponent to get too close to their own goal in the six against six. Wolff held a seven-meter (4th) right away, but he was powerless in the Austrian finals from a very short distance. The DHB selection ran after a two-goal deficit at 3: 5 (9th) for the first time, but quickly stabilized again. The 35th meeting of the two nations remained balanced at first. Germany came offensive again and again through Melsungen's Julius Kühn to easy goals, playmaker Philipp Weber also often found Golla in the circle.

Third win in third game

Little by little, the highly motivated DHB selection got better into the game, the speed game after winning the ball was always a weapon. Gislason, who gave a lot of instructions from outside as a DHB coach before his first tournament, also diligently exchanged personnel. For example, the Hanoverian Fabian Böhm defended at times as the tip of a 5: 1 cover, while youngster Juri Knorr was also allowed to prove himself in the attack.

After a 5-0 run and thanks to the sure seven-meter shooter Schiller, the lead increased comfortably to six goals. However, the start of the second round failed, Gislason took a break at 24:21 (38th) and criticized slight missed throws on the offensive. Germany then scored more regularly again, and Bitter also came into the game well after the break.

The lead grew again, also because Schiller always showed new throwing variations on seven meters and remained ice cold. Gislason's third win in the third game as a DHB coach was no longer in danger.