Good German defense – Steinert and Köster strong up front
Shortly after the start of the game, the DHB team noticed that there was no lack of motivation. In defense, Patrick Wiencek, Johannes Golla and Co. got down to business – better than in the other two preliminary round games. At the front, on the other hand, the ball was not really smooth at first, there was often a risk of passive play, and some inaccuracies crept in. At first there was a lot of struggle on both sides and little glamor, after eleven minutes it was only 3:3.
Driven by an outstanding Christoph Steinert, who scored six times out of six attempts in the first half, the Germans then managed to score consistently. After almost 20 minutes it was 8:5 and Poland’s coach Patryk Rombel was forced to take a break for the first time. National coach Alfred Gislason responded by bringing in the young second division player Julian Köster, who ran really hot and visibly revived the DHB attack. The German half-time lead of 15:12 at the break was well deserved.
Highly concentrated until the end
And although the Poles started the second half with two quick goals, the Germans continued to shape the game from the front. Gislason kept making changes and made good use of his broad and balanced squad despite the absences. With less than twenty minutes to go, Rombel called his second time-out. At this point the Germans were in the lead for the first time with five goals – 20:15.