analysis
Germany failed at the handball World Cup after an extension thriller on Portugal-but much more to itself. An analysis.
This hard plastic sign, which the “Player of the Match” is presented with in Denmark, Croatia and Norway after each game of the 2025 handball World Cup, this oversized and rather unadorned rectangle, Andreas Wolff would have preferred to destroy the center line.
The goalkeeper of the German national team had been awarded as a man of the evening in Oslo despite the quarter-final defeat against Portugal (30:31 after extension).
Too many deficits dragged through the World Cup
However, the fact that even 21 parades of Wolff were not enough to move into the semi -finals, says a lot about his front people. Germany simply did not deserve to reach the top 4 because too many deficits were dragged through the entire tournament. Because the learning effect from the six games, five of which were more or less lackluster, was extremely low.
Again and again the DHB team had overslept the starting phase in the first and main round, had regularly needed strength hunting. It may have been lacking in the final phase against the Portuguese in the final phase.
Golla honestly: “absolutely catastrophic”
“That was absolutely catastrophic”said Captain Johannes Golla with a pleasantly honest about the first 30 minutes on Wednesday evening, in which the German measly nine goals had succeeded, and only five (!) Of the game.
If Wolff hadn’t defused one ball after the other from the start and Lukas Zerbe (at the end of nine goals) turned one seven meter after the other, everything would have been over at the break.
“Where’s the preparation?”
Sportschau expert Johannes Bitter was stunned well after midnight: “This didn’t happen for the first time against Portugal. We need the first 20 minutes in almost every game to learn and understand what the opponent does. I honestly wonder: where is the preparation?”
At first, the main description, the lack of ideas and poverty in variants in the German attack around the Luca Witzke, completely overwhelmed as playmaker, was particularly frightening. Renārs Uščins sometimes took throws from impossible situations, but sometimes had to do so because the colleagues hid.
Circle and left wing do not exist
Play over the circle in the first half? Do not exist. Play over left wing throughout the game? None. Julian Köster, Lukas Mertens, Witzke and Golla in the first round? All goalless.
But what was impressive about the entire tournament: Germany does not give up. Desperately not on your own inadequacies and the lack of plan B from the coaching bank, the often extensive breath time -out (“Hey guys, do your job …”) away. The fighting spirit at the 2025 World Cup was outstanding, but with better coaching, more trust in younger shooters such as Marko Grgic (21) or Nils Lichtlein (22), the DHB team could have received the lack of reserves at the end.
“Half -cooked and without the last consequence”
Sportschau expert Dominik Klein was missing next to the clear plan (“Many attacks look half -cooked without the last consequence”) Also any leadership on the plate – up to the embarrassing discouragement in the 60th minute: Germany had the ball at 26:26, but no longer dared to end.
Broadcaster Alfred Gislason later explained this with the fact that at that time was played outnumbered: “We had therefore taken out the goalkeeper, so we didn’t want to run the risk of losing the ball and getting into the empty goal.”
Wolff angry: “That must not happen”
That doesn’t sound logical, at most “half -bustle” again: Gislason could have left Wolff on the field so that at least – even with one man less – to create a throw. For example, about Juri Knorr, who celebrated a great comeback after his illness and threw seven goals.
Instead, a pass came to the right side to Uščins, which was completely isolated there and stopped the attack as a precaution. “It really excites me that we didn’t even get a throw”Wolff admitted openly afterwards. “I’m disappointed, but also angry. It just can’t happen.” Like so many other things during this world championship with the German team- especially the plan, ideas and discouragement.