EA turnaround in this game was no longer in sight. But when the ball made another artistic curve, launched by Elohim Prandi, and rolled into the right corner of the goal, it was clear that the French had scored the last good point. It was handball by hook or by crook on Tuesday evening in Berlin, and the German players kept this game open for 55 thrilling minutes, also thanks to a fantastic Andreas Wolff in goal, who made 14 saves.
But when their strength dwindled at the end, they had to acknowledge that the record world champion was still one step ahead of them. The 30:33 in the last preliminary round game does not mean the end of Alfred Gislason's team's medal hopes at this home European Championship, even if they now go into the main round without any points. The game continues against Iceland in Cologne on Thursday, followed every two days by the other games against Croatia, Hungary and Austria, which surprisingly left Spain behind with a draw. Gislason's team probably needs four wins from these games – but after Tuesday's performance it was clear: why not?
At certain moments in Berlin it also looked as if the Germans would be able to force their luck. They didn't lack commitment, but overall it was clear that the French were in a different class than their previous opponents with their physicality – and also more individual quality than the DHB selection. While the Equipe Tricolore found the man in the circle too often and too easily, especially in the first half, the Germans had to work much harder for each of their goals, also due to a lack of power from the backcourt.
“Cologne reception” despite snow and ice?
Juri Knorr scored the most hits, eight. In the end, however, there was a lack of strength and opportunities for substitution, so that at the end of this handball spectacle, which one could hardly wish for more gripping and intense, success was no longer within reach.
This Wednesday, weather and rail permitting, the team wants to set off in the morning by ICE towards Cologne, where a “Cologne reception” with a carnival corps and musical accompaniment will be waiting for them at the train station. From Thursday onwards the controls will be turned up again – Cologne, that always means: all in. The view of the duel with the French was characterized by respect, also nourished by the fact that a German national team had not won a tournament for eleven years could when it came against France.
However, one felt that this time they sensed a chance. And they got off to a start that could hardly have been better. Because Wolff made four saves in the opening minutes and the German throwers mostly found their target, they took the lead with 3-0 and 4-1 goals. It was only after seven minutes that the French managed to score a goal out of the game. But they didn't let themselves be shaken off, they worked their way back with force and cool class. When the Germans got two throws into the empty goal, the team was ahead.
To know every trick in the book
Kai Häfner was there again. He missed the duel with North Macedonia because of the birth of his second child. This time Gislason came into the mix unusually early; he brought Kohlbacher, Heymann and Kastening into the game, and later also Uscins. David Späth then provided an atmospheric thunderclap with a seven-meter save at 12:11, but that didn't turn out to be the boost we were hoping for.
It felt like the endless crunch time of the first half, Späth saved a second seven-meter penalty, but the tough French emerged victorious from this stress test when they turned 14:15 into 17:15. Previously, after the whistles against Chancellor Scholz on Tuesday, there was an unfriendly reception for Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), while Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU), on the other hand, received applause in the capital.
After the break, the Germans initially continued their negative run to 0:5, but then they picked themselves up again. Three goals in a row were a source of encouragement, and Wolff, who seemed increasingly in high spirits with a number of saves, provided emotional fuel for a gradual rapprochement; after 47 minutes the Germans were back at it, 25:25. But now it was also a question of who had more physical reserves, and that was the French.
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