- First Olympic loser: Handball players lose to Croatia
Germany's handballers suffered their first setback after euphoric Olympic days, missing out on a direct quarter-final spot. After victories over co-favorite Sweden and underdog Japan, the team coached by Alfred Gislason lost to Croatia 26:31 (13:15) for the third time this year, delivering a disappointing performance throughout the 60 minutes.
The German team had previously left the court as losers in the home European Championship in January and the Olympic qualification in March. In front of around 5,700 spectators in Paris, captain Johannes Golla was the top German scorer with eight goals.
Despite the defeat, the German handballers still have good chances to reach the knockout phase. In the final group games against Spain and Slovenia, they will not only fight for a quarter-final spot but also for a good position in the tournament. As group winners or runners-up, they would likely avoid gold medal favorite Denmark in the first round.
Many chances, few goals
Hundreds of German fans created a home game atmosphere in the Arena Sud, but the Gislason team struggled against aggressive Croatians despite the loud cheers. The team's finishing was poor, with left wing Lukas Mertens and right back Julian Köster missing several good opportunities. When Germany did score, it was often through the center and captain Golla.
Croatia's inability to pull away was due to their own finishing issues and the performance of German goalkeeper Andreas Wolff. Like against Sweden and Japan, the 33-year-old was the team's crucial backbone. The THW Kiel goalkeeper was the only one in good form compared to his teammates. "We need to use our heads more," Gislason demanded loudly and visibly frustrated.
The fact that his team was almost always two goals behind did not please the Icelandic coach. The sovereignty shown in the opening matches was gone. The German performance could best be described as erratic, error-prone, and hectic.
Häfner announces retirement
The German handballers made it easy for their opponents. Their passes were as imprecise as many of their shots. Numerous attacking turnovers were exploited by Croatia's Ivan Martinovic of Bundesliga club Rhein-Neckar Löwen, who scored unchallenged. The German team around playmaker Juri Knorr found no solution and had to watch as the Sigurdsson team pulled away to a five-goal lead (15:20).
Gislason tried various changes, including bringing on Kai Häfner, who had recently announced his retirement from the national team after the Olympics. The substitution had no effect, and the oldest player in the German Olympic squad could not prevent the defeat.
The following setback against Croatia was not reflected in the team's statistics, as many chances were missed by players like Lukas Mertens and Julian Köster. Despite this, the German handballers are still in a position to qualify for the knockout phase, as they have upcoming games against Spain and Slovenia.
