Handball EM: early end threatens – handball players before dramatic group finals

Status: 11/08/2022 12:51 p.m

Before the group final against Spain, anything can happen for the German handball players at the European Championship – even an early end is imminent.

A dramatic preliminary round final against Spain awaits Germany’s handball players on Wednesday (November 9th, 2022, 8.30 p.m.) at the European Championship.

Great pressure from defeat against Montenegro

After the 25:29 against co-hosts Montenegro and the subsequent 22:21 victory of Poland against Spain, the DHB selection can continue to reach the main round on their own on the one hand, but on the other hand they can also drop out of the tournament early.

After two match days, Montenegro leads Group D with 4:0 points and has already secured a ticket for the second phase of the tournament. Poland and Germany follow with 2:2 points each. Bottom of the table is Spain with 0:4 points. The World Cup fourth last year is the last group opponent of the team of national coach Markus Gaugisch.

A win and a draw are enough

There are three scenarios with which the DHB selection reaches the main round – because the first three teams in the group of four advance: In the event of a win or a draw against Spain, the DHB team is qualified, and a defeat against Spain with a maximum of two is enough goals difference if at the same time Poland loses against Montenegro.

If the German team advances, it is also about creating a decent starting position for the main round.

Points against qualified teams remain

If the game against Spain is narrowly lost and Poland doesn’t score a point against Montenegro, the DHB team would start with 0:4 points and would therefore have little chance of traveling to Ljubljana for the final weekend. There the medal games and the game for fifth place increase.

If Spain are eliminated and Poland progress as the third team, Germany will go into the second phase of the finals with a score of 2-2 thanks to a 25-23 win over Poland in the opening game.

“Helps Us Grow”

After the defeat against Montenegro, Gaugisch was optimistic: “It’s a shame it wasn’t enough, we tried everything. But a game like this helps us grow. Now we want to win against Spain.”

Captain Emily Bölk says: “We mustn’t bury our heads in the sand. Nothing is lost yet.”

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