Germany’s handball players received a lesson in the World Cup endurance test against Sweden despite a good start.
Alfred Gislason’s team lost to the ripped-off European champions 33:37 (16:19) on Thursday (October 13th, 2022) in Mannheim.
Exactly three months before the first game at the World Cup, the DHB team around the strong captain Johannes Golla only put the Swedes in serious trouble at the beginning of the game. Desolate six minutes after the restart made the preliminary decision in front of 9,221 spectators in the Mannheim Arena. With eleven goals, Golla was the best pitcher for the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB).
“It was a total failure. Everything went wrong. Of course that breaks a team’s neck.”
In the first international match in almost six months, Germany presented itself too inflexibly on the offensive, only the circle game worked. “We wanted to learn, but we had to learn the hard way. I’m very dissatisfied with the phases in which we made a lot of technical mistakes and played too hastily. That’s when we lost our heads. It hurt.”said Gislason.
On the other hand, the goalkeepers Andreas Wolff and Till Klimpke parried a few balls – but the German cover didn’t have enough to oppose the Swedes.
Spain as the next opponent
On Saturday (8.15 p.m./sportschau.de) in Jaen, Andalusia, Spain, the next world-class opponent, is waiting for Germany in the second game of the EHF EURO Cup. It is the last international match of the year, the DHB team will only test twice against Iceland in January before the start of the World Cup in Poland and Sweden (January 11 to 29, 2023).
Time is of the essence:– Gislason didn’t want to lose any time against the Swedes, who had traveled with ten Bundesliga players. The Icelander had demanded enthusiasm and a quick transition game. But that’s exactly what his team only showed in the early stages.
Sweden hardly impressed
Germany, who started with playmaker Juri Knorr and returnee Patrick Groetzki on right wing from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, quickly drew three goals ahead. Found again and again: Golla, who coldly converted his chances at the circle. After twelve minutes, the only 24-year-old captain had already scored seven goals.
But that didn’t impress the EM champion. Sweden stalked their way back up, took the lead for the first time at 10:12 (20 th ) with two goals and extended this to four goals in the first half. Germany’s graduation rate dropped significantly.
overslept again
The backcourt hardly emanated any danger, the offensive seemed at times unimaginative. Gislason reacted and brought in the seventh field player – which initially worked well. The Swedish attacking machine around Flensburg’s Jim Gottfridsson ran incessantly, the Vice World Champion always found an answer in the 111th duel with Germany.
Germany then completely slept through the restart. Sweden punished sleepiness coldly. Lukas Mertens scored the first goal after the restart in the 37th minute, but Sweden was ahead with eight goals – 17:25. “We gave up the game completely. That shouldn’t happen like that. It’s impossible to win against Sweden with such a long period of weakness.”said backcourt player Kai Häfner.
The DHB men, who meet Qatar, Serbia and Algeria in World Cup preliminary round group E, still showed morale.