The German handball players are currently winning one victory after another at the Handball World Cup in their own country. Solid performances, home advantage and a lucky tournament tree – the gate to the quarter and semi-finals has rarely been so wide open.
Big win number four: The clear 36:26-goal victory of the German handball players against the team from the Faroe Islands fits smoothly into the previous results of this tournament. “I can’t remember a time when we started a tournament so smoothly and achieved such clear victories. Of course it’s fun, especially in front of the home crowd“said Emily Vogel in an interview with Sportschau.
Coach Markus Gaugisch’s team will also be the clear favorites in the remaining two main round games against Montenegro and Spain.
DHB team stacks deep
“Compulsory victory, that sounds so arrogant”said Gaugisch in a media round on Monday, “We look after ourselves, do our job and then we see how good the job is.” The team is stacked deep because it is also a fact: anything other than a march through to the quarter-finals without losing any points would be a disappointment.
The German team looks more solid, especially compared to previous tournaments. “I think our tempo game is much better and we cover well. It’s really fun.”Gaugisch summarized it after the main round game against the Faroe Islands, “I’ve never seen the team so focused. We work incredibly hard.”
However, it is not possible to say exactly how strong the German team really is at the moment. Germany will only really be challenged by an opponent in the knockout phase. “I think that’s doing the other teams a bit of an injustice.”contradicted playmaker Alina Grijseels, “It won’t be a walk through the games. And it’s often the case at a World Cup that you have one or two games that are very clear.”
Distribution of roles in world handball
It’s more than one or two games. 32 teams take part in this world championship. Eight teams have already been eliminated, none of them having won a single game. Ten games ended with a difference of more than 20 goals. A massive class difference.
The gap in women’s world handball is wide. On the one hand: teams like Uruguay, in which only amateurs compete, or Iran, who only scored nine goals against Switzerland. On the other hand: the top teams. In the past 10 years – with one exception (world champion Netherlands in 2019) – Norway, France and Denmark have won the World Cup and European Championship titles among themselves.
Germany is somewhere in between, with the desire and ambition to make the long-awaited leap into the semi-finals and thus advance to the top of the world. It is more likely than ever that it will work this year.
Happy tournament tree
The tournament tree means well with the DHB team. “That’s definitely the case. We have to keep our feet on the ground. They were all opponents who are behind us in the world rankings.”said Vogel about the games in this tournament so far, “Now the tournament is slowly starting. Montenegro and Spain are already behind the world leaders, just like we were.” But both teams have undergone a change, and Germany is clearly the favorite again in these games.
The world-class teams from France and Denmark would only be met in the semi-finals at the earliest. Olympic champion Norway – currently unbeaten – would be a possible opponent in the quarter-finals. A clash could be avoided if both teams finished their main round group in first place. The German team could win the group with a win against Montenegro. It is very likely that Norway will also win the group.
More feasible Quarterfinal opponent?
Who if not Norway? The Swedes would actually be the top contenders for the knockout phase. But they made a mistake in the preliminary round against the Brazilians, who now have the best chance of reaching a possible quarter-final against Germany. On paper, Brazil is the easier opponent for the German handball players.
The German team suffered serious defeats against the Swedes in the past. In particular, the one in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup two years ago, when the DHB team only scored the first goal after 14 minutes, is likely to have been burned into the memory as a painful memory. Germany, on the other hand, recently impressed against Brazil with clear victories in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
In addition, there is the home advantage that the DHB women would have. Over ten thousand spectators fit into Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle. “The fans make a big difference. That’s what makes you want to see the hall join in. It gives you a lot of energy.”said Vogel. So the signs are good for the first semi-finals since 2007.
Dreaming undesirable
National coach Markus Gaugisch doesn’t want to hear about it. “We want to go to the quarter-finals as first in the group. And who comes next doesn’t interest me yet.” He and his players preach that they only look from game to game and concentrate on themselves. “We want to stay grounded because it’s good for us. We just look at our game and don’t dream”said Gaugisch. Dreaming is undesirable in the DHB team. However, given the good starting position, everyone else can hope for a successful outcome to this World Cup.