Handball World Championship - Laughing away the World Cup setback: DHB women aim for the semi-finals
Despite their first World Cup defeat, Germany's handball players were all smiles. Buoyed by a convincing performance against Denmark, the DHB players shuffled through the interview zone with a broad grin and wearing slippers. After the respectable 28:30 against the European Championship runners-up, nobody wanted to hear about a World Cup setback - on the contrary.
The belief in their first World Championship medal in 16 years is greater than ever before. "We won't take any negativity into the quarter-final against Sweden. We're really hungry," said backcourt player Xenia Smits and wanted to get started right away. "I might need the night to recover, but then we could get started."
Booed for 60 minutes
After advancing to the quarter-finals early and going toe-to-toe with title contenders Denmark, the DHB team is brimming with confidence. There is no sign of fear ahead of the clash with the Swedes on Wednesday (17:30/Sportdeutschland.tv). "We held our own for 60 minutes against a booing crowd, so we don't need to be afraid of what's to come," said co-captain Emily Bölk.
While still on the pitch on Monday evening, the German squad prepared for the tough test against the Scandinavians. Arm in arm, Alina Grijseels and Co. formed a circle and banged their fists together. The clear message to the competition: Germany sticks together, fights and believes in the World Cup coup.
"Nothing has happened"
"You have to lose the right game at the right time. Today was all about feeling good and nothing happened. It wasn't a damper, we feel a tailwind," said circle player Julia Behnke. The fact that Germany had missed out on winning the group and were therefore unable to avoid the strong Swedes in the quarter-finals did not seem to bother the 30-year-old. The desire for the reunion is great.
It will be the German seven's third clash with the Northern Europeans in just a few weeks. Immediately before the start of the tournament, both teams played two test matches against each other and won once each. "Sweden have always been a bit ahead of us in recent years, but we're fit. We can keep up the pace and also play an aggressive defense," said Bölk.
Too many two-minute penalties
Germany's handball players are more confident than they have been for years. Gaugisch spoke of a new "killer mentality", left winger Antje Döll praised "the calm and confidence to deal with pressure situations" and Bölk explained: "Our demands on training and our performance have changed. Many of us now play for top international clubs. Competing with the best in Europe is no longer a specialty for many of them, it's part of their daily business."
In order to survive against Sweden, the DHB team will have to eradicate minor mistakes from the Denmark game. "We have to be smarter in defense. We get too many two-minute penalties. At the front, we take one or two shots too quickly," analyzed Grijseels and appealed to her team-mates: "If we want to make it into the top four, we have to beat a team like Sweden - so we have to go full throttle!".
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Source: www.stern.de
