vTeam boss Ales Pajovic has already apologized carefully: “It's not the most beautiful handball in the world that we play.” But who looks at the B grade when the results are so convincing? “We are in the main round with three points, I don’t even know what to say about that,” Pajovic sums up in amazement and visibly overjoyed.
First the draws in the Mannheim preliminary round games against Croatia and Spain, then the win against Hungary on Thursday – before the “brother duel” this Saturday evening (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Handball Championship, on ARD and on Dyn) against Germany The Austrians have already achieved much more than ever expected.
“We can also beat Germany”
Will there be more? “What we are doing with this small rotation is crazy,” says Lukas Hutecek from Bundesliga club TBV Lemgo. “This backdrop, this atmosphere, it brings everything out of you. And if we continue to carry these emotions with us, we can beat Germany too.”
When he said that, his coach Ales Pajovic walked past him and asked with a grin: “There are still three games left, right?” Hutecek replied cautiously: “Definitely Saturday.” The 23-year-old professional only had a knee MRI on Receive approval to attend the morning of the game.
And that may be the biggest problem for this surprise team: when it comes to the wear and tear of strength, the Austrians already seem to be at their limit. Behind a strong first seven, the selection becomes narrow; Similar to the Germans, there are four or five core players who almost have to play through to pull the Austrian cart. The majority of the rest plays in the weak domestic league.
But coach Pajovic uses this limited offer skillfully. The Slovenian, who once played for THW Kiel, consistently uses the seven against six style of play – when the Austrians are in attack, he takes out the good goalkeeper Constantin Möstl and substitutes an additional field player.
The two outstanding minds Hutecek and Nikola Bilyk from THW Kiel as central backcourt players always look for the circle with the massive Tobias Wagner (weighs 128 kilograms) or the experienced wingers Robert Weber (active in the Bundesliga for a long time) or Sebastian Frimmel from Pick Szeged. This game plan was so difficult for Croatia and Spain that both missed points – and Spain was eliminated.
Pajovic referred to Hutecek as his right hand and Bilyk as his shoulder. The two lead the team without a tussle over competence: “We are really good friends, so I don’t have to play captain,” says Bilyk, the Austrian with Ukrainian roots.
In Kiel he matured into an international class player; a calm, pleasant guy who national coach Alfred Gislason also knows from their time together: “I brought him in when he was 18 years old. He is a phenomenal player with a great character.” And added with a smile: “In Slovakia at the European Championships two years ago he scored twelve goals against us. But we would like to stop that.”
Of course, Gislason knows that the game is also charged with sporting history – keyword “Cordoba” – but the Icelander didn’t add fuel to the fire, instead saying with a smile: “It’s none of my business that they have problems, the Germans and the Austrians.”
Nikola Bilyk himself emphasized the beauty of the big task: “Our team is characterized by great solidarity. We only have positive pressure and want to enjoy it.” Together they are “on fire,” promised team boss Pajovic. Then it's all set for the neighborhood duel, which for the first time has a really big meaning in handball.
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