World Cup in Denmark - Lesson for DHB team: Handball women without a World Championship medal
Germany's handball players have once again fallen victim to their semi-final curse after a desolate World Cup performance in phases and must continue to wait for their first World Cup medal since 2007. The DHB team experienced a day to forget in the quarter-final against Sweden and missed out on their first World Championship semi-final in 16 years with a 20:27 (6:16) defeat.
In front of around 6000 spectators, co-captain Alina Grijseels, Amelie Berger and Viola Leuchter were the best scorers in the German team, which put in its weakest performance of the tournament with four goals each. The DHB team will continue with the first placement match against the Czech Republic on Friday, while Sweden will face Olympic champions France in the final round.
After previous convincing performances at the World Championships, the DHB had thought they had a good chance. In recent years, the German handball players have rarely been as confident and mature as they have been in the tournament so far. Emily Bölk and Co. wanted to finally close the gap to the top four nations with a win against the Olympic fourth-placed team.
But national coach Markus Gaugisch's team looked like a different team. Completely unsettled and without a recognizable plan, the DHB team was given a lesson by the three-crown team. The semi-final curse continues. Three seventh places and one eighth place were the results of previous major tournaments in which they missed out on the preliminary round. Now the events repeated themselves in Herning.
A missed seven-meter penalty, countless misplaced passes and strong saves by the Swedish goalkeeper characterized the disastrous opening phase from the German point of view. After nine minutes, Sweden, who gratefully accepted every German gift, led 4:0.
Gaugisch reacted with a time-out and called for "attacks through the gap". But the 49-year-old's heated speech fizzled out. The DHB team lost almost every one-on-one duel against the aggressive Swedes and there was far too little movement in their attacking play. The small German fan block saw a difference in class.
The German seven now wanted to force the first goal and were far too hasty in their finishing. It took 14 minutes for co-captain Emily Bölk to redeem herself (1:7). However, there was no jolt through the team after that. Sweden looked optimally prepared and also had the perfect answer to a change in Germany's system to two circle runners.
Although the Swedes also made mistakes after the break, their compact defense and outstanding goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen made up for the slip-ups in offense. The fact that there were still no two-minute penalties after 45 minutes also spoke for the lack of toughness in the German game.
Just as the Gaugisch team was fighting its way back goal by goal (13:19), the co-hosts turned up the heat again. Germany were a match for their opponents in the second half, but the deficit from the opening period was too great. The DHB team must now make their next attempt at a medal at the European Championships in a year's time.
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- Following their World Cup performance, Germany's handball women, led by co-captain Alina Grijseels, must await their first World Cup medal since 2007.
- Sweden, the three-crown team, delivered a lesson to a struggling DHB team, leaving Germany without a World Championship semi-final in 16 years.
- The Czech Republic will face the DHB team in the first placement match at the World Cup in Denmark, after Germany's defeat to Sweden.
- Denmark and Alina Grijseels' team will aim to close the gap to the top four nations at the European Championships next year, failing to secure a medal at the World Cup.
- Emily Bölk and the German handball team entered the quarter-finals against Sweden with high hopes but fell short, resulting in a 20:27 defeat.
- Handball star Alina Grijseels, along with Amelie Berger and Viola Leuchter, were among the top scorers for Germany in the tournament, despite their overall disappointing performance.
- Meanwhile, the Czech Republic will face the German national team in herning, eager to make their own bid for a medal at the World Cup.
- The Czech Republic handball team, as well as Sweden, both represent countries with rich handball histories, making the competition at the World Cup even more intense.
Source: www.stern.de
