Huge excitement about the last group game of the German team at the European Handball Championship. Because the DHB team lost to Spain with the “right result”, the eliminated Poles sensed cheating. The TV pictures support this thesis.
Despite the 21:23 defeat against Spain in the last European Championship group game, the German handball women moved into the second round on Wednesday as third in group D.
Particularly dramatic: If coach Markus Gaugisch’s team had lost by three goals, they would have been eliminated due to the worse goal difference compared to fourth-placed Poland. However, both Germany and Poland ended the preliminary round with two points and a goal difference of -4.
Because the DHB team won the direct comparison, it was ultimately enough to make it into the intermediate round. So far, so “normal”.
Spain wanted German progress
However, the result is explosive with a view to the Spanish team, because the Iberians were very interested in the German team progressing. The reason: points from preliminary round games against teams that also move into the intermediate round are taken with them.
Because the Spaniards lost their game against Poland, they would have progressed to the second round without any additional points if Poland had also progressed. But because the DHB team is progressing, the Spaniards are taking the two points from this game into the intermediate round.
Meaning: Spain was particularly keen to win against Germany by exactly two goals. And the Iberians did a lot for that.
Spaniard cheers after German goal
With 47 seconds remaining, Spain were leading 23-20 on their own possession. But instead of using her own attack, Jennifer Gutiérrez fired the ball from her own circle in a high arc behind the German goal.
The German team took advantage of this “gift” in return and shortened it to 21:23 through Xenia Smits – a goal with surprisingly little resistance, which led to the “perfect result” for both Spain and Germany.
That’s what the Spaniard Paula Argos thought too, who raised her arms and cheered after the German goal. Only after a few seconds did she realize that she shouldn’t have done that and lowered her arms again.
In the final attack of the game, the Spanish team went without a goal at all and settled for a two-goal victory.
Polish media sense fraud
In Poland, the events in Podgorica caused a lot of trouble. It was not without reason that the local media suspected fraud by the Spanish team.
“In the end, both of them agreed on a crazy comedy,” wrote the newspaper “Przegląd Sportowy”. The portal “Interia Sport” accused the Spaniards: “They didn’t even try to score a goal. It’s hard to believe, but that’s exactly what happened under these wild circumstances.”
And the broadcaster “TV Sport” said: “Everything culminated in the last 90 seconds of the game. First the Spaniards threw the ball into the stands and in the end they stopped attacking the German goal.” A charge that was entirely justified.