Handball - DHB women win World Cup opener against Japan
The German handball players took a deep breath and then stormed towards Xenia Smits completely unleashed. With a last-second goal, the backcourt player led the DHB team to a hard-earned World Cup opening victory against Japan.
In a nail-biter, the team of national coach Markus Gaugisch prevailed 31:30 (18:17) against the underdogs and thus created an optimal starting position for the desired entry into the main round. The best German scorer was co-captain Alina Grijseels with seven goals. Smits scored the winner with the final buzzer in front of around 1700 spectators.
Despite the surprisingly close game, Gaugisch drew a positive conclusion. "It's not that we played a bad game. We were good. We did a lot of good things," said the 49-year-old, praising his players and paying tribute to their opponents: "Japan are difficult to defend. Very varied. You can see that they are very disciplined in their systems 16 weeks a year.
Good news before the kick-off
The German team's other preliminary round opponents are Iran on Saturday and Poland on Monday. The top three teams will qualify for the second phase of the tournament, the main round. The declared aim of national coach Markus Gaugisch's squad is to finish in the top seven, which would secure one of the coveted tickets for the Olympic qualifying tournament.
The German national team received some good news even before kick-off. Backcourt player Smits, who had missed the last World Cup test against Sweden due to a thigh injury, was able to play from the start. There was not much to see of the 29-year-old, but she was there at the decisive moment.
Japan repeatedly caused problems for the DHB team
The DHB team were initially unable to take advantage of their physical superiority. Emily Bölk and Co. had their problems with the fast play of the agile Japanese, who were ten centimeters shorter on average. After trailing by three goals at one stage, the Germans took the lead for the first time after a good ten minutes.
In a fast-paced game with many attacks and counter-attacks, the defense was the weak point in the German game. The defensive players did not coordinate well and the Asians repeatedly danced their way through the back rows. Thanks to a few lapses in concentration on the part of the Japanese, the DHB team, which was also shaky in offense, nevertheless went into the break with a one-goal lead.
Defense more secure after the break
Immediately after the restart, the DHB team pulled three goals ahead for the first time. Germany created a goal threat, particularly through the wingers Amelie Berger and Antje Döll. In addition, the defense was now more secure and forced the underdogs to lose possession.
Co-captain Grijseels was particularly accurate. The 27-year-old from top club HB Metz converted confidently both from the seven-meter spot and from play. After around 42 minutes, Gaugisch's team took a four-goal lead for the first time (25:21).
When everything looked like a commanding victory, mistakes crept back into the DHB team's attacking play - Gaugisch reacted with a time-out. Events came thick and fast in the final minute: Japan equalized, but Smits scored the celebrated final goal.
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Source: www.stern.de
