- Desolate final performance: Handball players miss gold crown
The German handball team couldn't crown their impressive Olympic run with a gold medal, losing the one-sided final against world champions Denmark in a humiliating performance. After sensational tournament wins against European champions France and bogey team Spain, coach Alfred Gislason's team was completely overwhelmed, losing 26:39 (12:21).
This was the highest defeat in an Olympic final ever. Germany's gold medal dreams were shattered by a disastrous defensive performance, with Denmark's star ensemble, led by world player of the year Mathias Gidsel, able to stroll through the German defense at will.
Despite the bitter final loss, Juri Knorr and his teammates secured the German Handball Federation the biggest success in recent history, following the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2007 World Championship triumph at home, and the 2016 European Championship title. Winning silver with the youngest Olympic team ever has the federation dreaming of a glorious future, despite the game against Denmark leaving a different impression. In front of around 27,000 fans in the cauldron of Lille, Juri Knorr was the top German scorer with six goals.
The last German Olympic victory was in 1980
Denmark, led by star player Gidsel of Berlin's Füchse, reinforced their dominance in world handball with their second Olympic gold after 2016 in Rio. With subsequent World Championship wins in 2019, 2021, and 2023, this is their fifth major tournament victory in the past eight years.
For Germany, however, the success of the East German team in 1980 in Moscow remains the only title won by a hall handball team. In 2004 in Athens, the team led by Stefan Kretzschmar had to settle for silver against Croatia. Eight years ago in Rio, goalkeeper Andreas Wolff and his teammates won bronze.
Poor defense, poor attack
After the epic quarterfinal win over France, the DHB team believed in a gold medal. The six-second miracle in Lille, where goalkeeper Renars Uscins saved the German team with the final buzzer, was supposed to inspire the entire team. But in the final against Denmark, the nerves failed.
Denmark scored from almost every position at will, with an efficiency rate of up to 90% in the first half. Their offensive defense also caused the DHB team major problems. The young German team looked nervous and couldn't find a way to break through the Danish defense. "We have to work on this," demanded Gislason, as his team fell behind 5:10 after numerous turnovers.
German fans tried to entertain themselves with a Mexican wave on the tribunes, as there was little to cheer about on the field. After 20 minutes, the game was practically decided, with Denmark leading by double digits for the first time after a display of power.
Wolff with only 3 saves after 35 minutes
Those hoping for an improved performance from the German team in the second half were disappointed. Passes to the circle and to captain Johannes Golla failed, shots were imprecise, and goalkeeping was poor.
Wolff had only three saves after 35 minutes. The defense was a complete disaster, with more goals conceded than in any previous Olympic final. Denmark's Gidsel was able to crown himself as the tournament's top scorer with little resistance.
Despite their impressive performances leading up to the final, Germany's handball team was unable to claim the coveted gold medal, settling for a silver medal once again. The team's dream of a gold medal was undone by a disastrous defensive performance, allowing Denmark's star ensemble to easily score their way to victory with the gold medal.
