Olympic preliminary round - Drama against Denmark: Handball players tremble at Olympics
Initially, there was solace for unlucky Jenny Behrend, but Germany's women's handball team then vowed to take the final step towards the quarter-finals after a thriller without a happy ending. Despite a brave and convincing performance, the DHB team missed a potential upset, losing 27:28 (12:15) to World Championship bronze medalists Denmark, and now has 2:6 points before the group finale against European champions Norway.
"We still feel like we've arrived in the tournament. Our performance was impressive. We measured ourselves against a top team and deserved a point. If we keep playing like this, we deserve to be in the quarter-finals," said co-captain Emily Bölk.
To directly enter the knockout phase at their first Olympic appearance since 2008 in Beijing, the team led by coach Markus Gaugisch must finish at least fourth. As fourth, they would likely face top favorites France in the round of the last eight.
Behrend misses equalizer
For the DHB women, the loss to Denmark was their third Olympic setback in four games. After defeats against South Korea and Sweden, they could only win against Slovenia. In front of around 5,700 spectators, right wing Jenny Behrend was the top German scorer with six goals but also the tragic figure.
Just before the end, the 28-year-old failed to equalize against Denmark's goalkeeper, missing the potential equalizer. "I'm exhausted, disappointed, tired, and very annoyed that I didn't use the last chance. We wanted to take something against a big opponent today, and the chance was there, but I lacked nerves in the end," said Behrend.
Lack of ideas in attack
Gaugisch had urged his players to surpass their performance from the Slovenia game. "We need to beat a big one if we want to be good. We haven't done that yet," said the 50-year-old. And the DHB women started well. Especially in defense, the World Championship sixth was wide awake and stole many balls from the Danes. The 9:7 lead after about 15 minutes was deserved.
However, Germany's handballers had increasing difficulties finding gaps in the opponent's defense. The attack lacked ideas, and power from the backcourt was missing. Additionally, DHB goalkeeper Katharina Filter initially couldn't parry many of the Danes' shots. With a 4:0 run, the favorites turned the game. The substitution of goalkeeper Sarah Wachter had no effect.
Lead thanks to Filter and Behrend
The Danes were far from their best performance. The DHB team played inaccurately in attack and didn't use many opportunities. However, Filter now saved chance after chance, allowing outside player Behrend to score for the lead (20:19).
The surprise win seemed close at this point. The DHB team then squandered the lead through too many fouls, allowing the opponents to pull away to a four-goal lead (21:25). In the final phase, the DHB selection narrowed the gap and was close to a point, but Behrend missed the last chance.
- Despite Emily Bölk's influential role as co-captain, delivering impressive performances and pushing the team towards top-level opposition, her teammates, including Jenny Behrend, have struggled to secure victories at the 2020 Olympics.
- In the high-pressure game against Denmark, Emily Bölk led by example, showing her confidence and competitive spirit, but it was teammate Jenny Behrend who drew attention with her superb scoring efforts, despite missing the crucial equalizer in the final moments.
