The tricky opening task at the European Championships with the 33:29 win against Belarus had hardly been completed when the German handball players were already looking at the next opponent.
“It was a successful start, even if not everything was great. This win helps the team, but we have to stay focused and tackle the task against Austria in the same way,” said national coach Alfred Gislason before the second preliminary round game this Sunday (6 p.m. / ARD ).
the initial situation: If the German team wins again, they have four points in their account. Should Poland then defeat the Belarusians, the DHB selection would be in the main round early. “I hope that we’ll score the next two points,” said backcourt player Kai Häfner.
The weaknesses: The defence, the showpiece for years, wasn’t up to par for a half against Belarus. “We couldn’t get the opposing pivot and the wing players under control at all, so the goalkeepers didn’t get into the game well either,” Gislason summed up. That should not be repeated against the Austrians. “We have to be able to be there right from the start,” appealed captain Johannes Golla.
The strengths: Especially from the backcourt – otherwise often the weak point in the German game – the DHB team developed an incredible amount of pressure and goal danger. Kai Häfner (8 goals) and his Melsungen club colleague Julius Kühn (6) could hardly be stopped. “In my opinion, Kai played absolutely outstandingly. Not only his number of goals, but also the number of his assists were very good. That was probably the best game I’ve ever seen from him – and I’ve seen quite a few games,” praised Gislason.
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