Despite a weak performance, the German handball players got away in the European Championship qualification with a blue eye: At the last second, an important draw in Switzerland succeeded on Wednesday evening (07.05.25).
The 32:32 (11:14) continues to take the German place in the group, which is valuable for a good draw at the tournament in the coming year in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The fact that the DHB team qualified for this was already clear before the kick-off in Zurich.
Worse start – a goal in ten minutes
The Germans made a catastrophic start in Zurich. After ten minutes of playing, Alfred Gislason’s team had thrown exactly one goal, which Marko Grgic succeeded in the 3. minute. Switzerland met five times in the same period and had far more opportunities, but who, like the World Cup, defused Andreas Wolff in the German goal.
At the DHB team, on the other hand, ball losses, blatant playback errors and big chances were balanced – the Magdeburg keeper Nikola Portner did an outstanding job as Wolff. In keeping with the starting phase of the Germans: Grgic set the first seven meter next to the goal, Tim Freihöfer failed with the second to Portner.
Gislason pissurers during the first break
After the 1: 5, Gislason then had enough of the performance of his team and became clear during the time -out: “Hey guys! Eight attacks, a goal!” He struggled and then grabbed himself personally. Then he changed Juri Knorr and Julian Köster, and it got better at short notice: Miro Schluroff, Knorr and Köster brought the Germans to 4: 5 before the Schlendrian quickly returned.
In particular, Knorr played completely confused, Renars Uscins hardly ever came into good throwing situations – after 23 minutes it was 11: 7 for the Confederates. Shortly afterwards it was even five goals behind at the 13: 8 by Luca Sigrist.
Disappointing Service provider At the DHB team
With 11:14 we went into the break, right after the restart, the DHB team came through Luca Witzke almost in striking distance – but the catch -up was not really sustainable. Everything was still missing: concentration, accuracy, consistency – and also the defense against the Stuttgart Hünen Lenny Rubin was poor as at the World Cup.
The younger players such as Tim Freihöfer (Füchse Berlin), Tim Nothdurft (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Miro Schluroff (VfL Gummersbach) or the debutant Matthes Langhoff (Berlin) and Mathis Häseler (VfL Gummersbach) were not blamed, but Knorr, Uscins or also captain Johannes Golla should have come much more.
Knorr still turns out to be a boss
After all: the attitude was right. Even if it remained very difficult to play in play, everything looked tough and tedious, the Germans actually came back in the final phase. And somehow it was almost to be guessed at: Wolff parried in the 60th minute and immediately initiated the pace.
In the last break, Gislason did not say how this counterattack was not about Gislason, but Knorr: The playmaker finally staged Witzke, who bravely pulled into the circle against Rubin and got the elbow – there were seven meters three seconds before the end. Then Knorr proved to be the head of this team again and actually made a draw for the second time after the 0-0 – the entire rest of the game was in the lead.