Before the World Cup quarter-finals against Sweden, the DHB women are dreaming of their first medal since 2007.
The belief in the first World Cup medal in 16 years is greater than ever before. “We’re not taking any negativity with us into the quarter-finals against Sweden. The greed is huge”backcourt player Xenia Smits explained after the defeat against Denmark on Monday and wanted to get started straight away. “I might need the night to regenerate, but then I could get started.”
After the early advance to the quarter-finals and a game at eye level against title contenders Denmark (28:30), the DHB selection is bursting with self-confidence. No trace of fear before the duel with the Swedes on Wednesday (December 13th, 2023; 5:30 p.m. in the live ticker and in the audio stream).
“We held our own for 60 minutes against a booing arena, so we don’t need to be afraid of what else will come,” said co-captain Emily Bölk belligerently.
The DHB women are aware of the task: “We have a huge chance of getting to the semi-finals. That would be a nice thing for us and also very important for German women’s handball“, explained Alina Grijseels.
If we manage to reach the semi-finals, our opponents would be France. The French beat the Czech Republic 33:22.
DHB team missed group victory
The German squad was still on the floor on Monday evening preparing for the tough test against the Scandinavians. The clear message to the competition: Germany sticks together, fights and believes in the World Cup coup.
It is therefore not a problem that the DHB team missed out on winning the group and was therefore unable to avoid the strong Swedes in the quarter-finals. The desire to see each other again is great.
For the German seven, it is the third duel with the Northern Europeans within a few weeks. Immediately before the start of the tournament, both teams played two test games against each other and won once each.
Döll: “Peace and sovereignty”
“Sweden has always been a bit ahead of us in recent years, but we are fit. We can keep up the pace and put up an aggressive defense,” said Bölk.
Germany’s handball players are more confident than they have been in years. Coach Markus Gaugisch spoke of a new ““Killer mentality”.
Left winger Antje Döll praised “the calm and sovereignty to deal with pressure situations” and Bölk explained: “Our demands on training and our performance have changed. Many now play for top international clubs. Competing with the best in Europe is no longer a specialty for many, but rather everyday business.”
Take the next step
In order to survive against Sweden, the DHB team has to eliminate minor mistakes. “We have to be smarter in defense. We get too many two-minute penalties. We take one or two shots too quickly up front.”analyzed Grijseels.
Antje Döll summed it up to a simple formula: “It’s not up to Sweden, it’s up to us whether we win the game.“