The DHB team showed a disappointing performance against Croatia and lost significantly. Juri Knorr even wanted to apologize to the audience on site.
It could have been a triumphant climax, but instead it was a disappointment: Instead of celebrating their place in the European Championship semi-finals with a win against Croatia, which had already been confirmed before the game, the DHB team now has to deal with a clear defeat go to the semi-finals with Denmark.
The German team showed a poor performance against Croatia and missed too many chances, especially on the offensive, as in the second main round game against Austria. The 19,750 spectators in the Lanxess Arena, which was once again sold out, tried everything to encourage the team, but their efforts were in vain.
“It hurts us all extremely”
Playmaker Juri Knorr seemed particularly sorry about this. After the game, he quickly grabbed the hall microphone and apologized to the fans on site. “To be honest, I’m sorry for everyone who was in the hall and bought tickets,” the playmaker called out to the fans: “That hurts us all extremely, that’s not the mentality we wanted to play with.” His guess: “We are in the semi-finals, but maybe we thought about it too much and switched off in our heads,” said Knorr.
In the interview zone, Knorr further explained his spontaneous action. The team did not show the mentality that had distinguished them in the tournament so far. That’s a shame, especially for the local fans. “We all know the ticket prices,” said Knorr. “I don’t think everyone has the opportunity to buy a ticket for the semi-final again. That’s why we should know how grateful we can be to play here in front of 20,000 people every time.” The team therefore has a responsibility. “We didn’t do justice to that today.”
His grandmother, who can no longer watch so many games in the hall, was also there against Croatia. “For me it’s just an example of why I wanted to do better today and overall I just feel like we didn’t do it justice today,” said Knorr. “We should have delivered a handball party today and we didn’t deliver it.”