Weak points before medal hunt
Handball players struggle through endurance test before home European Championships
January 4, 2024, 5:52 p.m
The home European handball championship starts next week. The Germans test their form against Portugal – and reveal their weak points. However, a ruthless debutant convinced in the difficult victory.
Bumpy endurance test before the home European Championship: Despite a changeable performance, Germany’s handball players got in the mood for the European Championship with a last-minute victory. Six days before the start of their medal hunt, national coach Alfred Gislason’s team won 34:33 (18:14) against Portugal, but still revealed some weaknesses in view of the opening game against Switzerland.
“I’m very dissatisfied that we completely lost track after the break,” complained Gislason on the ARD microphone: “I would have liked more stability in defense.”
The best German thrower in the first of two Portugal tests was Juri Knorr with six goals. The German team initially impressed in front of 4,546 spectators in Flensburg with a variable offense, but the defense still had some coordination difficulties.
After the break, the game became a close affair – also because the team made too many missed throws in attack. A bright spot was Martin Hanne, who scored five goals on his international debut. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff provided the decisive scene with a save around 20 seconds before the end of the game.
Wolff six minutes without conceding a goal
The opportunity to do better comes quickly: on Saturday (6 p.m./ARD) rises in another duel with the WM-13. the dress rehearsal for the European Championships in Germany (January 10th to 28th). The DHB men will play the opening game against the Swiss next Wednesday (8.45 p.m./ZDF and Dyn) in front of more than 50,000 spectators in Düsseldorf. Other opponents in preliminary group A are North Macedonia (January 14th/8.30 p.m./ZDF and Dyn) and record world champions France (January 16/8.30 p.m./ARD and Dyn).
“We want to create a very aggressive and mobile defense and put a lot of pressure forward,” said Gislason at the ARD microphone immediately before the Portugal game. After the two courses in Frankfurt and Brunsbüttel, the mood in the team is “outstanding so far. Things are going extremely well in training.”
Captain Johannes Golla and his teammates confirmed these impressions at the beginning. At the back, keeper Wolff went six minutes without conceding a goal, while at the front, playmaker Juri Knorr and youngster Julian Köster impressed with their wit and goal threat. Even a glitch with the hall clock, which caused a minute-long delay after five seconds, could not cause the DHB selection to lose their concentration.
Debutant Hanne uses the first contact with the ball
When the lightning-fast right winger Timo Kastening made it 9:5 with his third goal after a quarter of an hour, Gislason’s facial expressions noticeably relaxed. From then on, the Icelander took advantage of the early lead and tried a few things. Sebastian Heymann and Philipp Weber were allowed to play in the backcourt, U21 world champion Justus Fischer in the circle – and Hanne, THE surprise in the German European Championship squad, also made his international debut. Remarkable: The 22-year-old scored his first international goal with the first touch of the ball to make it 15:10 (24th).
Gislason was still not completely satisfied. “It’s about defense!” he shouted to his team during a timeout towards the end of the first half. 14 goals conceded at halftime – they were obviously too much for more than just the national coach. Germany couldn’t get the defensive difficulties under control; a mistake in substitution resulted in an unnecessary outnumbered number. When Portugal had meanwhile got within two goals, Gislason complained during the time-out: “We are far too static!” Portugal now stayed close.