Burglary in Crunchtime: Germany’s handball players suffered a setback in the first game after the World Cup.
The replacement-weakened team of national coach Alfred Gislason did not go beyond 26:26 (13:11) in the European Championship qualification in Austria ten minutes before the end of the game in the European Championship qualification in Austria, but still has a match ball for the European Championship ticket on Saturday.
Golla best German shooter
Captain Johannes Golla was the best shooter for the DHB selection in front of 6,018 spectators in the Vienna Steffl Arena, which had to do without Shootingstar Renars Uscins and the circular runners Jannik Kohlbacher and Justus Fischer on Thursday evening.
Juri Knorr was also not used. Despite the missed victory, Germany (5: 1 points) would not be able to qualify for the final round in the coming year with a success against the Austrians in Hanover.
Schluroff striking, Freihöfer debut
In the sold-out, converted ice hockey hall, the DHB selection, in which, in addition to the striking Gummersbacher Tim Schluroff, Tim Freihofer from the Füchsen Berlin also gave his national team debut, for each goal at first.
In the back, an offensive defense variant initially showed its effect in front of the well-placed world handball candidate Andreas Wolff. But after 24:20 (50th minute), the German attack effectiveness decreased drastically.
Möstl helps Austria to come to comeback
Austria succeeded with the strong Constantin Möstl between the posts. The two best teams in the group 7 will certainly qualify for the European Championship in Denmark, Sweden and Norway (January 15 to February 1, 2026), and the four best third of the eight groups of four secure their participation.
In the first two games, Gislason’s team celebrated clear successes against Switzerland (35:26) and Turkey (36:29) last November, the last qualifying double takes place in May.
Köster ensures Three-goal lead
Schluroff was allowed to run in front of an atmospheric backdrop right from the start and marked his first international goal at 3: 3 (13th). Overall, the German offensive initially found few solutions against the compact Austrian cover. The battered playmaker Knorr, whose trip to Vienna was questionable, was initially on the bench.
In the 9: 6 (21st) by the convincing Julian Köster, Germany took the lead for the first time with three goals. The movable DHB coverage did a good job, only Austria’s circuit runner Tobias Wagner keep breaking through. The game remained tight because Germany left the best chances from outside and the seven -meter line. With a free throw, Schluroff secured a two-goal lead for the break.
“Don’t make the best decisions”
“Above all, we do not make the best decisions, especially in excess.said DHB sports director Ingo Meckes. The Austrians of Ales Pajovic, who also works as a Flensburg coach, remained a persistent opponent even after the restart. Marko Grgic now found the game better in the DHB team, overall the offensive engines on both sides were now hotter.
As in the previous year, when Germany only played draws at home against Austria and only narrowly won in the Olympic qualification, a hot fight developed. In particular, the Austrian Sebastian Frimmel was no longer able to grip German cover under control, so the almost safe victory was still playful.