Germany’s handball players have not won against France at major tournaments for eleven years. We look back on memorable duels with the record world champion – painful defeats and a great victory.
February 1, 2007, World Cup semi-final, 32:31 (27:27, 21:21, 11:12) nV: The mother of all duels (from a German perspective) transformed the Cologne Arena into a madhouse 17 years ago. The highly dramatic triumph in the second extra time is the key to the winter fairy tale that the team of then national coach Heiner Brand won three days later in the final against Poland with their third German World Cup title. The 19,000 spectators see a single up and down against the French, a DHB captain Markus Baur, who scores the decisive goal from the seven-meter line a good minute before the end of the game and a fantastic goalkeeper Henning Fritz, who then parries Daniel Narcisse’s last throw and one seemingly endless party begins.
January 18, 2013, European Championship preliminary round, 32:30 (16:16): The last victory of a DHB selection in a tournament against France came completely unexpectedly. At the end of the preliminary round, coach Martin Heuberger’s team defeated the heavy favorites and defending champions in Barcelona and secured group victory. “That can only push us. Everyone thought we were a cucumber squad, but we know what we can do,” said playmaker Michael Haaß at the time. But the high didn’t last long, five days later the final stop was in the quarter-finals against hosts Spain.
August 19, 2016, Olympic semifinals, 28:29 (13:16): The hopes of a successful comeback were dashed with three seconds left. Daniel Narcisse, also known as Air France, jumps up, throws, hits – and the Bad Boys become the Sad Boys. The then European champion delivered by far his weakest tournament performance in Rio de Janeiro, and there was even a threat of a debacle. After a 15:22 deficit in the 47th minute, Germany suddenly came within one goal again – until Narcisse scored. The dream of Germany’s second Olympic victory since the GDR gold in Moscow in 1980 suddenly shattered, and in the end Uwe Gensheimer and Co. won bronze.
January 27, 2019, game for third place in the World Cup, 25:26 (13:9): National coach Christian Prokop sits on the sidelines with a blank look in complete consternation, his players fighting back tears. A goal by superstar Nikola Karabatic in the final second shocked Germany’s handball players in the game for third place at their home World Cup. Seven seconds before the final whistle, the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) still had the chance to score the winning goal, but Hendrik Pekeler couldn’t get the ball under control at the circle and Karabatic punished this coldly in return. It’s brass instead of bronze in the small final in Herning, Denmark, and the wait for the first World Cup medal in twelve years continues.
January 25, 2023, World Cup quarterfinals, 28:35 (16:16): A passionate performance, a very strong goalkeeper Andreas Wolff – but in the end the dream of the first World Cup medal since the winter fairy tale of 2007 is once again shattered against the ripped-off neighbor. In Gdansk a year ago, Germany’s handball players lost significantly to the favorites despite a long, courageous performance. In the second half, a weak throw by the DHB selection cost them a possible victory against their experienced opponents.