The Dutch handball players have won the European Championship qualifying match against Germany 31-25.
The match was played in front of 1800 spectators in the Yalya Arena in Krefeld.
With this victory, the Dutch team takes a big step towards qualifying for the European Championship.
Playtime
Larissa Nusser from Born and Inger Smits from Geleen were given playing time by debuting national coach Per Johansson. The Swede had left Claudia Rompen from Mechelen out of the competition selection. The goalkeeper had to settle for a place in the stands.
Head Start
The Netherlands had built up a 6-3 lead after fifteen minutes of play. However, the German team managed to clear the deficit before the break. The halftime score was 12-10 in favor of the German handball players.
After six minutes of play in the second half, the Netherlands had cleared the deficit (14-14). The Dutch team then had a strong phase in which they scored four goals (18–22).
Despite the support of the home crowd, the German team was no longer able to clear the deficit.
Victory
With this victory, the Netherlands strengthens its leading position in the qualifying group. Germany is second with three points behind. Greece and Belarus follow at a greater distance. At the moment it is uncertain how the matches with Belarus will be handled.
The home game against Germany will be played in Rotterdam on Saturday. All tickets for this game were sold within fifteen minutes.
The European title fight will be played in North Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro from November 4, 2022 to November 20, 2022.