International game in Mannheim – victory against Switzerland: handball players pass EM test

Mannheim (dpa) – Alfred Gislason himself didn’t seem to really know where his handball national team stood after the victorious first endurance test for the European championship.

“I thought that we did very well overall,” said the national coach in Mannheim after the 30:26 (15:14) against Switzerland around star director Andi Schmid. Gislason also spoke on ARD of “a couple of phases where we didn’t play so smoothly”. In addition, the Icelander complained about major problems in defense. On the other hand, Gislason tested all players before the finals in Hungary and Slovakia and also tried out various formations and tactics on the defensive.

Thanks to the victory, his protégés at least gained confidence. The best thrower was left winger Marcel Schiller with seven goals. The EM dress rehearsal against record world and Olympic champions France will take place in Wetzlar on Sunday, before the German team will fly to Bratislava next Wednesday. Belarus, Austria and Poland are the opponents of the preliminary round.

The exhausting training days in the European Championship preparation camp in Großwallstadt were initially barely noticeable for the German team. The DHB team was wide awake from the start and determined the rhythm of the game.

Well-presented Wolff in DHB gate

The defense was in good shape at the start – and could also rely on a good-natured Andreas Wolff in goal. The 30-year-old, who missed the two international matches against Portugal in early November, showed a strong performance in the first half and emphatically underlined his claim to be number one between the posts.

In the attack, a lot went over the outside Marcel Schiller and Timo Kastening. With the exception of Sebastian Heymann, the back area developed too little pressure. Nevertheless, the DHB selection led at 6: 3 after ten minutes with three goals for the first time.

As the season progressed, however, the German team got problems on the defensive because the Confederates consistently attacked with seven field players. “We didn’t manage to do the necessary work against the circle,” complained DHB sports director Axel Kromer at half-time. The consequence: At 13:13 the Swiss equalized for the first time.

After the break, Gislason changed completely with the exception of circuit runner Johannes Golla. Till Klimpke came into the gate, who introduced himself with a few saves and thus laid the foundation for the first five-goal lead (22:17/40). On the offensive, Lukas Mertens was particularly recommended in this phase. The left wing of the sovereign Bundesliga leaders SC Magdeburg was successful three times.

But as in the first round, several mistakes crept in, so that Switzerland was close to a goal ten minutes before the end. The DHB selection showed no nerves and went off the floor as a deserved winner.