A good half is not enough: that hurts against Belgium in the European Championship quarter-finals, but Germany’s basketball players did not disappoint. Now the view of the placement games is aimed at.
The disappointment was to be seen. While the team from Belgium celebrated with their fans, the German basketball players sneaked off the field with hanging shoulders and lowered views. Luisa Geiselsöder and Frieda Bühner had in the Mixed zone visibly struggle with tears; Leonie Fiebich tried to maintain the version in the interview.
No wonder, since the clear 59:83 defeat against the reigning European champions was in the quarter-finals. From the dream of a medal. “We are very sad. We are all athletes and want to win”said Geiselsöder in an interview with the sports show. “And then losing this way in this way was not the plan. The dream of a medal has burst.”
Belgium pulled the plug
At the beginning it went very well for the German team. Lisa Thomaidis again sent the usual starting five around Fiebich and Geiselsöder to the square, but unlike in the game against Spain, when they almost played through, the national coach rotated early in the game. Romy Bär and Alexandra Wilke in particular got playing time. It seemed as if the trainer put a hit from the triple line. And so the first 24 points were only achieved from a distance or by free throw.
Germany kept up until the break, after that almost nothing worked. As if Belgium had pulled the plug to the Germans, the threes bounced off the basket, unnecessary ball losses and passes also shaped the game. Against the “Belgian Cats“The German basketball players had great difficulties around superstar Emma Meesseman, who played with 30 points in their own league. The lack of support from the outside did their rest. The large stadium in Piraeus was only sparsely filled, German fans were hardly on site. Unlike in Hamburg, where the hall was smaller, but always sold out.
All expectations met
The question that will remain: What could the German team have achieved at the European Championship, wouldn’t have lacked important top performers with Satou and Nyara Sabally and Marie Gülich and Alina Hartmann? You will never find out, but it is certain: In view of the adverse circumstances, the DBB women have met all expectations with the quarter-finals. The truth also includes that a medal – the declared goal of all the cancellations and injuries – would have been in full team strength.
Against Belgium, you went into play as a clear outsider, so you had nothing to lose, said Lisa Thomaidis in the subsequent press conference. “We see it as an ultimate opportunity to play against a team like Belgium. Every day we have together brings us a team. Our goal is to continue to participate in these competitions, regularly reach the quarter -finals and at some point the semi -finals.” The basketball players most recently succeeded in 1997.
Load distributed over a few shoulders
But the best players in Germany must also be on board. With this European Championship, however, the burden of responsibility was only distributed to a few shoulders. While in the group phase with Emily Bessoir, Frieda Bühner and Leonie Fiebich and Luisa Geiselsöder, four players from the Starting Five met two -digitly, hardly scored from the bank. After all, every player was now able to look forward to the time. This is important, says Geiselsöder. “We have to play with all players, because that brings experience.”
And this is necessary against top-class teams such as Belgium or Vice European Champion Spain Spain. Because particularly striking at this European Championship is: the first half usually runs really well, then the big burglary comes in the third quarter. According to Bühner, this is particularly frustrating. “If things don’t go like this, I notice that the head hangs a bit”the 21-year-old, who has become one of the key players in the course of the tournament. “This must not happen. In such phases, we have to stick together better as a team.”
Next Challenge: Turkey
The German team can work on this in the next two games, because despite the departure, the tournament is not yet over. There are no longer any medals to be won, but it’s still about a good placement. And the opponent for the upcoming classification game, which decides whether the basketball players play for fifth or seventh place, is already certain with Turkey. They lost their quarter -finals very tightly and dramatically in overtime against Italy.
The goal is to be better than the past Eurobasket when Germany took sixth place and thus laid the foundation stone for the Olympic qualification. “Of course it is disappointing to be excreted. But we still have a lot plans”says Leonie Fiebich. “The hunger to play at the top has not gone out because of this one game. We just have to continue working on ourselves.”
Especially with regard to the upcoming World Cup in Berlin, for which Germany’s basketball players are already qualified as hosts. Then, that is the great hope, Satou and Nyara Sabally, Marie Gülich and Alina Hartmann could also play along.