Crying handball players are "proud to be bombshells"
The German handballers put up a great fight against top favorite France in the quarter-finals. Despite the defeat, they are also proud of themselves. Instead of playing for medals for the first time since 1992, as hoped, the Olympic comeback after 16 years ended prematurely.
When the big medal dream burst, Emily Bölk gathered her teammates on the field and gave an emotional speech with tears in her eyes but also a smile on her face. The captain spoke to a weeping, disappointed team, but no one should be ashamed: In the 23:26 (10:13) quarterfinal loss against Olympic and World Champion France, the DHB selection had sniffed a sensation until just before the end of the thrilling game in the cauldron of Lille.
"I'm really proud," Bölk said later, the German team could "hold their heads high" and with "the best performance" they had shown, not just in this tournament. "We made it really hard for France, so there's definitely a positive conclusion, it was a great finish," the captain emphasized.
Antje Döll had brought the DHB selection back to within one goal at 21:23 five minutes before the end after a brief 15:15 tie - but that was as close as they got. "It's sad that our dream is over," said coach Markus Gaugisch, "I'm disappointed that we're out."
Little things were missing for the "miracle"
The disappointment was understandable. Instead of playing for medals for the first time since 1992, the Olympic comeback after 16 years ended prematurely. "It was a big dream for all of us to leave everything on the court to achieve the miracle, and it is a miracle if you beat France in France," said Gaugisch. In the end, though, "little things" were missing that made the difference against the powerful French.
"I had the feeling that every player believed in it for 60 minutes today, we really gave it our all," Döll also emphasized, but she also criticized the "little things" like weakness in finishing. Döll spoke of a "halfway satisfying ending" despite a "not so spectacular preliminary round." It was satisfying, but not the hoped-for and at times possible happy ending. The DHB selection put up a strong defensive performance for much of the game against the tournament favorite, led by Bölk (7 goals), in front of around 27,000 enthusiastic spectators at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Missed shots, inaccurate passes, technical errors
The early phase belonged to the hosts. Missed shots, inaccurate passes, technical errors: It took more than eight minutes for Xenia Smits to score the first German goal. And so the French party was already in full swing when Gaugisch took his first timeout after 14 minutes. The spectators danced on the tribunes at their team's 7:3 lead.
But the German women did not give up, fought back, and thanks to a strong defense and some saves from goalkeeper Katharina Filter, they got back into the game. In the second half, they quickly made up a five-goal deficit. When Julia Maidhof scored to make it 15:15, it suddenly became quiet in the arena, but Germany didn't capitalize on the momentum. France was more consistent in converting their scoring chances.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Emily and her teammates were proud of their performance in Paris. Their strong defense and close victory against France in the thrilling quarter-finals showcased their potential, making it a great finish for the team.
Coach Markus Gaugisch acknowledged that while it was a miracle to beat France in France, little things were missing in their match that made the difference against the powerful French team.
