The DHB team was able to conduct the dress rehearsal against Portugal successfully on Saturday, but after the 35:31 victory the mood in the German camp is likely to have been clouded.
The German national handball team paid dearly for the victory in the last test before the European Championships in Germany (from January 10th): Patrick Groetzki will not be able to take part in the European Championship finals.
“It didn’t feel good,” Groetzki told “Mannheimer Morgen” as he limped off the floor after the first 30 minutes and left the hall for further examinations. Coach Alfred Gislason later explained that the 34-year-old right winger had “felt a stinging sensation under the sole of his foot. We don’t know exactly what it is. We hope for the best.”
Unfortunately, the results of the investigations are far from the best. In the evening, the German association announced that Groetzki, who had just recovered, had suffered a relapse of his old injury.
“It’s bitter! Patrick Groetzki is out for the upcoming European Championships! The old foot injury that kept Groetzki out of action until the beginning of December has recurred,” the DHB said in a tweet.
Handball boss complains about “extremely bitter diagnosis”
It is not yet known how Gislason will compensate for the loss of the most experienced DHB national player with 172 international matches. It is clear that Groetzki’s failure is a bitter setback with regard to the continental championship.
“We will now coordinate internally how we will react after this failure. We have until January 9th to report the official squad to the EHF,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer. Groetzki’s absence is “an extremely bitter diagnosis for Patrick, which of course also hits the national team and the Rhein-Neckar Löwen hard. We feel for him and wish him all the best for the upcoming rehab.”
The Germans start the European Championship against Switzerland on Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. Other opponents in Group A are co-favorites France and North Macedonia. Only the best two in the group qualify for the main round.