DHB women threaten the whole big Olympic shakeup
The Sensation Doesn't Materialize. Germany's Women's Handballers Put Up a Great Fight Against Denmark, But Ultimately Lose and Their Chance to Advance to the Olympic Quarterfinals Remains Uncertain.
Germany's women's handball team narrowly missed an upset against medal contenders Denmark and must continue to fight for a place in the Olympic quarterfinals. Coach Markus Gaugisch's team lost to the 2019 World Championship bronze medalists 27:28 (12:15) and now has a 2:6 record going into their final group game against reigning European champions Norway on Saturday.
To advance directly to the knockout phase at their first Olympics since 2008, the German team must finish in the top four. As the fourth-placed team, they would likely face tournament favorites France in the quarterfinals.
The loss to Denmark was Germany's third setback in four games at these Olympics, following earlier defeats to South Korea and Sweden. They have only managed to beat Slovenia so far. In front of around 5,700 spectators, right wing Jenny Behrend was Germany's top scorer with six goals.
Lack of Ideas in Attack
Gaugisch had urged his players to build on their performance against Slovenia. "If we want to be good, we have to beat a big team. We haven't done that yet," said the 50-year-old. And the German team started well, particularly in defense, where they caused many turnovers. Their 9:7 lead after 15 minutes was well-deserved.
However, Germany's attack struggled to find gaps in Denmark's defense and lacked creativity. They also failed to generate enough power from the backcourt. Additionally, Germany's goalkeeper Katharina Filter initially struggled to save any of Denmark's shots. The favorites turned the game around with a 4:0 run. Substituting Sarah Wachter for Filter didn't make a difference.
Denmark was far from their best, but Germany's attack was too imprecise and didn't capitalize on their opportunities. Filter then made a series of saves, allowing Jenny Behrend to put Germany ahead (20:19). The upset seemed within reach, but Germany squandered their lead with too many fouls, allowing Denmark to pull ahead 21:25. The favorites held on to their lead, despite Germany's never-say-die attitude. Behrend had a chance to equalize in the dying seconds, but her shot was saved by Denmark's goalkeeper.
Despite their strong start and promising defense, Germany's handball team struggled to execute their attacks effectively against Denmark, leading to a lack of creativity and opportunities to score. In the end, their handball match against Denmark resulted in a narrow 27-28 loss, further complicating their quest to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals.
