- Group victory: Handball players travel confidently to Lille
Germany's handballers laid down a brief celebratory dance on the court after the impressive preliminary round finale, a 36:29 (23:14) win against Slovenia, then their focus turned to the intense phase of the Olympic medal fight. "We must not rest on our laurels. Now the knockout games begin. You either win or you go home," said backcourt player Julian Köster.
Thanks to their dominant performance against Slovenia, the DHB team secured the group victory with an 8:2 record and heads into the quarter-finals on Wednesday against European champions France or Hungary with great confidence. "We're traveling to Lille with confidence," said captain Johannes Golla, adding, "We need a good performance against any opponent that comes our way."
In their fourth win in five tournament games, veteran Kai Häfner was the top scorer with seven goals for coach Alfred Gislason's team, who received a positive interim report from their mentor. "The team has become very consistent and grows with each game. I'm pleased with the performance of all the players. The guys have concentrated superbly in the preliminary round," praised the 64-year-old Icelandic coach.
On Monday, the German Olympic team will travel to Lille, where the DHB women will attempt to pull off a sensation against world champions France on Tuesday. The knockout games will be played at the football stadium of OSC Lille in front of up to 27,000 spectators. "Now it's time to stop enjoying the village and have fun. Handball is absolutely in focus," said Golla.
The DHB men had already secured their early quarter-final spot in the fourth game with a dramatic win against Spain. However, coach Gislason warned against going into the game against Slovenia with only half power. "Because you often can't switch back afterwards," he observed.
Wolff holds and complains
Against the Slovenians, his team struggled only in the initial phase. The passes from playmaker Juri Knorr were somewhat imprecise. The simple ball gains and gaps in the German defense were exploited by the opponents for many goals. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff was dissatisfied with the performance of his forwards and complained after almost every goal conceded. His mood improved when Germany, also thanks to Wolff's saves, started a 7:0 run and pulled away.
Out of nowhere, the Slovenians made mistake after mistake. The Gislason team gratefully accepted the invitations and set the course for victory in this phase. Above all, Häfner, who will retire from the national team after these games, acted ice-cold in front of the opponent's goal. Also, the backcourt aces Köster (4 goals) and Sebastian Heymann (6) showed their best tournament performance so far.
Gislason rotated a lot for reasons of workload management. Against Spain's outstanding goalkeeper David Späth came on after the break and regularly made the traveling German fans cheer with spectacular saves. Left winger Rune Dahmke and the recovering center back Jannik Kohlbacher also collected playing time. From the seven-meter point, young star Marko Grgic (20) was almost always reliable.
Because the Gislason team acted too rushed at the end, Slovenia came a bit closer. Nevertheless: The experienced and comparatively inexperienced German team on the Olympic stage impresses at these Summer Games. In this form, everything is possible for the DHB team.
Men and boys in the German Olympic handball team show great talent and potential. For instance, young star Marko Grgic, who is only 20 years old, has proved to be reliable from the seven-meter point.
The DHB team, comprising men and boys, has impressed with their consistent performance during the preliminary rounds, with both veterans and newcomers contributing to their success.
