The DHB team faced the most difficult task of the World Cup so far against Denmark. Playmaker Juri Knorr wasn’t used much.
Nils Kögler reports from Denmark
In the end it was a clear 30:40 defeat that the German national handball team suffered in the first game of the main round at the World Cup against Denmark.
The roles had already been clearly assigned before the game: Denmark, as Olympic champions and reigning world champions, was the clear favorite. Germany the outsider. And right from the start the game took its expected course.
The Danes overwhelmed the DHB defense with their fast-paced attacks and scored goal after goal. Nevertheless, the German team initially held up well within its capabilities and thus avoided an even more significant defeat, like in the final of the Olympic tournament last year, when they had to admit defeat to the Danes 26:39.
After the game, national coach Alfred Gislason was particularly proud of having scored 30 goals against the Danes. The good number of goals is all the more surprising since playmaker Juri Knorr only got a little time on the plate.
Knorr took a seat on the bench in the middle of the first half and only returned to the game for a few minutes at the start of the second half. For most of the game, Luca Witzke took over Knorr’s position in the middle of the backcourt.
But why was Germany’s probably most important player languishing on the bench against the strongest opponent to date? Knorr himself only gave a pantomimic answer to this question. As he quickly scurried past the assembled journalists after the game, he pointed to his neck.
A short time later, national coach Alfred Gislason provided a more detailed explanation: “Juri was a bit under the weather, he has a cold,” he said. “I wanted to give him as many breaks as possible,” Gislason continued. Knorr started well, but after that he “didn’t really find his performance anymore,” the Icelander explained Knorr’s substitution. Substitute Witzke then performed well.
This is not the first inconvenience for Knorr at this World Cup. The 24-year-old had to be substituted in the first group game against Poland due to a knee injury. But he was back on the plate in the second game against Switzerland. The national coach will now be hoping for a similarly quick return.