With a shock win against Iceland at the start of the main round, the German handball players preserved their chance of reaching the European Championship semi-finals. Andreas Wolff once again excels.
20,000 fans frenetically celebrated the outstanding Andreas Wolff when the goalkeeper received the trophy for player of the game, then the German handball players jumped in circles on the parquet of Cologne’s Lanxess Arena.
After a real thriller, the host beat Iceland in the start of the main round with 26:24 (11:10) and thus preserved its chance of reaching the European Championship semi-finals. The German team now has 2:2 points.
“Andi is clearly the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment,” said national coach Alfred Gislason on “ZDF”: “It was a defensive battle. We had a very difficult time because the Icelanders played very, very well. But a huge compliment to our boys, everything was open until the last second.” Wolff saved two seven-meter penalties in the final minutes, and Julian Köster put the lid on it five seconds before the end.
“We showed morale and deserved to win”
Wolff, who pulled the 19,750 spectators out of their seats with his parades in the sold-out hall, was “very emotionally affected because it was a fantastic atmosphere. We showed morale and deserved to win.” Playmaker Juri Knorr also became the best German thrower in the fourth game of the tournament with six goals.
Two days after the only defeat of the tournament so far against France (30:33), the German team was only convincing defensively. The Icelanders, who are still pointless, kept biting their teeth against the German defensive bulwark around captain Johannes Golla and Cologne’s Julian Köster.
With the “brother duel” against Austria (3:1 points), the next tricky task for the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) awaits on Saturday (8.30 p.m./ARD), followed by duels against Hungary (2:2) on Monday and Croatia (1:3) on Wednesday. Only the top two in the group of six advance to the semi-finals. France is the leader with four points.
Handball European Championship: Wolff gives the DHB team security
“This is a very special game. It’s against my Icelanders. But it makes me very proud to be on the other side,” said Gislason immediately before kick-off, referring to the duel against his home country: “We have to keep calm and play our game. The Icelanders are technically very good.”
The national coach should be right. Germany needed time to get going against the northern Europeans, who were peppered with eight Bundesliga players. Before the throw-off, the technology in the arena also caused a breakdown: Because the Icelandic anthem was initially played stutteringly, it had to be repeated.
In the disjointed initial phase, it was once again Wolff who gave his team security. When youngster Martin Hanne scored Germany’s first lead after a good twelve minutes and made it 7:5 a short time later, the keeper had already made five saves.
Handball European Championship: German defense as the key to victory
The DHB selection continued to set highlights, especially defensively; at the front there was a lack of speed and creativity against the twelfth place in the World Cup in the first section. The German team was unable to pull away until the break, despite further Wolff saves.
Things went better after the break. When right winger Timo Kastening scored two goals to make it 16:14 (41st), the fans stood up from their seats. But Germany remained too inconsistent on the offensive.
The game became more and more hectic and Germany repeatedly showed nerves in the end and face-off. At 18:19 (50th), the Icelanders took the lead again for the first time since the 12th minute. But Germany didn’t give up – and the hall also became louder and louder.