First brilliant, then collapsed: Germany’s handball players received a lesson in the World Cup endurance test against Sweden despite a good start. Alfred Gislason’s team lost to the ripped-off European champions 33:37 (16:19) in Mannheim on Thursday.
Exactly three months before the first game at the World Cup, the DHB team around the strong captain Johannes Golla only put the Swedes under serious pressure at the start of the game, desolate six minutes after the restart made the preliminary decision in front of 9221 spectators in the SAP Arena.
“We gave the game completely out of hand. That shouldn’t happen like that,” backcourt player Kai Häfner criticized himself and said: “With such a long period of weakness it’s impossible to win against Sweden.”
With eleven goals, Golla was the best pitcher for the selection of the German Handball Association.
In the first international match in almost half a year, Germany presented itself too inflexibly on the offensive, where only the circle game worked. On the other hand, Andreas Wolff and Till Klimpke parried a few balls – but the German cover did not have enough to oppose the Swedes, who were getting better and better.
On Saturday (8:15 p.m./sportschau.de) in Jaen, Andalusia, Spain, the next world-class opponent, awaits Germany in the second game of the EHF EURO Cup. It is the last international match of the year, the DHB team will only test twice against Iceland in January before the start of the World Cup in Poland and Sweden (January 11 to 29, 2023).
Germany boldly starts
Time is of the essence – Gislason didn’t want to lose any time against the Swedes, who had traveled with ten Bundesliga players. The Icelander had demanded enthusiasm and a quick transition game. That’s exactly what his team showed, but only in the early stages.
Germany, who started with playmaker Juri Knorr and returnee Patrick Groetzki on right wing from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, quickly drew three goals ahead. Found again and again: Golla, who coldly converted his chances at the circle. After twelve minutes, the only 24-year-old captain had already scored seven (!) goals.
But that didn’t impress the EM champion. The World Cup co-host stalked his way back up, took the lead for the first time at 10:12 (20 th ) with two goals and extended this to four goals in the first half. Germany’s graduation rate dropped significantly.
Deep sleep after the break
The backcourt hardly emanated any danger, the offensive seemed at times unimaginative. Gislason reacted and brought in the seventh field player – which initially worked well. The Swedish attacking machine around Flensburg’s Jim Gottfridsson ran incessantly, the runner-up world champion always found an answer in the 111th duel with Germany.
Germany then completely slept through the restart. Sweden punished sleepiness coldly. Lukas Mertens scored the first goal after the restart in the 37th minute, but Sweden was ahead with eight goals – 17:25. The DHB men, who meet Qatar, Serbia and Algeria in World Cup preliminary round group E, still showed morale.