Before the supposed final in the fight for the World Cup quarter-finals, the health of leading player Juri Knorr is causing concern for German handball players. “Juri has a cold,” reported national coach Alfred Gislason after the 30:40 defeat at the start of the main round against hosts Denmark.
:Almost as bad as the Olympics
No chance in front of the Red Sea: The German handball players lose again heavily against Denmark at 30:40 – the chances of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals are still intact.
As in the Olympic final last summer (26:39), Gislason’s team was literally overwhelmed by the Danes, especially in the second half. Knorr’s mood was correspondingly bad after the game. With a thick towel around his neck, the 24-year-old ran quickly through the interview zone. The German playmaker wasn’t ready to talk and just wanted to take a hot shower. “I have a sore throat,” Knorr simply said and disappeared into the cabin.
A failure of the leading player would probably come at the worst possible time in the tournament. Finally, the DHB selection will probably have the decisive game in the fight for the quarter-finals on Thursday against Italy (6 p.m./ZDF). If the Olympic silver medalist loses to the surprise team, the medal mission is likely to end early. It would be even more important that Knorr is fit. Team manager Benjamin Chatton was confident the day after the game: “We assume he will be fit for action tomorrow.”
Knorr had already suffered a knee injury at the start of the World Cup against Poland, but was able to play in the following games against Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
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