German handball players scored the first two points early in the World Cup home game, but still have room for improvement. In the end they have to rely on their goalkeeper. That continued on Friday.
Didn’t shine, but clearly won in the end: German handball players started the home World Cup with a sense of accomplishment. National coach Markus Gaugisch’s team failed to provide the party they expected in a 32:25 (18:14) win against Iceland, but they managed to score two points.
In front of a crowd of 5,527 in Stuttgart, backcourt player Alina Grijseels with seven goals and right wingers Jenny Behrend and Nieke Kühne (5 each) became the best throwers of the DHB selection who have been waiting for a medal for 18 years. Men’s national team coach Alfred Gislason, who kept his hopes up in the stands, gave the team encouragement despite a somewhat difficult start to the World Cup: “I think the team has a good chance of reaching the semifinals,” the Icelander said on Sporteurope.TV.
Subscribe to WELTMeister Spotify, Apple Podcasts or directly through RSS Feed.
DHB Women continue against Uruguay on Friday. At the end of the preliminary round, the seventh-placed team at last year’s European Championship will face Serbia on Sunday. The three best teams in Group C qualify for the main draw in Dortmund, where the quarter-finals will also take place on December 9.
Struggling, instead of relaxing
Until now, the German team still has to improve. “There definitely won’t be any fireworks,” said DHB sporting director Ingo Meckes shortly before the World Cup kicked off. “But the team is ready. It’s about fighting for the tournament.”
The DHB team struggled in long stretches of play, as Iceland’s speedy players repeatedly caused problems for the German defence. With the score 5-0 to make it 10-6 (11th minute), Germany got a slight lead early on. However, as a result, Gaugisch’s students lost too many easy balls due to technical errors or missed throws.
There is no trace of ease in this phase. At least his commitment and will is true. Despite all these obstacles, the four goal lead remained intact until halftime because the German team managed to improve again in the final phase of the first half.
The goalkeeper filter is one factor
After the change, the DHB selection came out of the dressing room with momentum and quickly extended the lead to six goals. However, Iceland proved to be the expected stubborn opponents and could not be decisively swayed. This is also caused by a lack of concentration at the end of the match.
In addition, Northern Europe repeatedly found loopholes in the German defense, which actually became a showpiece. Defensive problems were already visible in the 35:32 defeat against Switzerland in the last World Cup test.
Luckily goalkeeper Katharina Filter is getting stronger. Thanks to their saves – in the end there were more than ten – the German team again found security and finally secured a safe victory.
lwö/dpa
