They had long since begun dismantling the gigantic arena when Andreas Wolff was still gymnastics through the catacombs. And smiled soulfully. “I absolutely enjoyed it,” said the German handball goalkeeper after the gala performance at the start of the European Championship against Switzerland (27:14).
With a rate of over 60 percent of balls saved, Wolff was the man of the evening in the world record game in front of 53,586 spectators in Düsseldorf.
“The boys fought fantastically, especially in defense,” said Wolff. The team was “very well” prepared and the team implemented the coaches’ instructions “really perfectly. To be honest, I would never have thought such a confident game was possible before the game.”
Nevertheless, Wolff warned about the next opponent. “Unfortunately it will be a very, very different game against North Macedonia,” said the keeper. But Wolff and his teammates know: Even a win on Sunday (8:30 p.m./ZDF and Dyn) in Berlin against the North Macedonians, who lost their first European Championship game against France 29:39, could mean early entry into the main round .
Handball European Championship: Gislason honors “world class” Wolff
After the perfect start to the tournament, Alfred Gislason had “very big” stones fall from his heart. The national coach praised Wolff’s “world-class performance” and “the defense was also extremely good. That was the basis for the victory. It was a very good game for us.” Gislason also praised his newcomers, who fit in seamlessly in the second half: “That was really nice, of course it helps me a lot to know that they can come in at any time.”
On the train ride to Berlin on Thursday morning, he will “evaluate the game in detail again, edit it together and make a video of it.” Above all, he didn’t like the German power game. “This is terrible,” said Gislason. Overall, he is “extremely proud” of his team: “It was a very good step forward. Also in terms of the way they played, the concentration, for 60 minutes.”
Looking ahead to the next game, the Icelander emphasized: “It won’t be easy, but nothing is easy at a European Championship. It will be a different game, I think.” North Macedonia has a “very impulsive team, with great talent”.