World Cup start was a success! The German handball players secured the first two points in “Europe” Group A with their 35:28 (15:14) win. In addition to the celebration of the successful start, there are also anxious looks at director Juri Knorr’s knee.
The 24-year-old slipped after 39 minutes and left the field with pain in his left knee. He had to undergo treatment and did not play again. National coach Alfred Gislason was unable to give the all-clear after the end of the game. “I just asked him and he said it was a sprain. But we’ll have to wait and see, I hope it’s nothing serious.”
Without Knorr, but thanks to an increase in performance, a strong Renārs Uščin and important goals from the bench players, the start of the Handball World Cup was successful after a nervous start. “We had a very difficult time for 40 minutes. I thought we went overboard, especially in the first few minutes,” said Gislason in the Sportschau interview. “We were lucky to be leading at halftime.”
In the new edition of the 2007 World Cup final, Gislason sent his well-rehearsed seven around captain Johannes Golla onto the field in front of 3,552 spectators in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, Denmark. As in the last test matches before the tournament against Brazil, the German team started hectic and incorrectly. Symptomatic: A pass from Knorr with a double majority did not find left winger Lukas Mertens, but instead found its way into the sideline.
Gislason particularly criticized the exploitation of chances – a constant theme for his team – and the negligence in coverage. “These are mistakes that keep occurring,” said goalkeeper Andreas Wolff. “We have to work through this internally.”
Morawski steals the show from Wolff
For the Poles, backcourt player Ariel Pietrasik at the front and goalkeeper Adam Morawski at the back ensured that their team was able to take the lead 6:4 (11th). With eight saves and a rate of 42% balls saved in the first 20 minutes, the 30-year-old Morawski repeatedly presented the German national players with challenges.
In the 25th minute, David Späth replaced the somewhat hapless Wolff in goal. The 22-year-old parried directly from the circle and Golla finished in front to take the lead 13:12. At the end of the half, the previously flawless Poles also became sloppy and lost the ball seconds before the break. Captain Golla scored at the halftime siren to take the lead 15:14.
Deutsche Bank as a valuable building block
After the break, the German team got into the game better and took a three-goal lead for the first time (36th), but they still lacked control on defense.
In this phase, one “substitute player” came into focus: Andi Wolff. The 33-year-old from THW Kiel parried three seven-meter penalties from the Poles and defended the German lead. Up front, in Knorr’s absence, it was his substitute Luca Witzke (five goals in five attempts) and Uščins who scored the German goals. In addition to the established players, another substitute, Marko Grgić, provided important impetus from the bench. The Eisenacher first scored a goal himself and then shone with a successful pass to Golla for a 27:24 lead (50th).
Uščins scored ten times, Golla made no mistakes
Spurred on by his seven-meter saves, Andi Wolff returned to the German goal and ensured that the lead was gradually increased with his saves. Renārs Uščins was the top scorer (10) of the game to make it 35:27. The best player of the game was circle runner and defense chief Johannes Golla, who converted all six of his throws.
On Friday, Germany will face Switzerland in the second preliminary round game, which only managed a 17:17 draw against the Czech Republic. The Czechs are the Poles’ next opponents. “We have to be more relaxed,” said Gislason, referring to the Switzerland game. “And I hope we have everyone on board.”