National coach criticizes "second suit" in European Championship endurance test
Germany's handball players have started their European Championship preparations with a draw. With goalkeeper Andreas Wolff making his comeback, the team of national coach Alfred Gislason came away with a 31:31 (16:18) win against Egypt and showed that there is still room for improvement around two months before the start of the home tournament. "There were a lot of ups and downs. Our first suit fits in attack and defense, but behind that we make too many mistakes," criticized Gislason on Sport1: "It's a shame that we end the last two attacks with technical errors."
Timo Kastening and Juri Knorr were the best scorers for the German Handball Federation (DHB) team in Neu-Ulm with six goals each, who gave away a potential victory in the final phase in front of 4601 spectators. On Sunday (17:15/ZDF), another tough test against the Egyptians is scheduled for the "Day of Handball" in Munich, which is also the last international match of the year.
Gislason should be particularly pleased with the return of Wolff. The leader was on the pitch for around ten minutes against the Olympic champions after having to sit out for weeks due to a slipped disc. After winning the ball, Germany impressed at times with "high-speed" handball, and the skills of debutant David Späth in goal also shone through. Overall, Germany made too many mistakes. Captain Johannes Golla nevertheless saw a "not so bad" performance.
Gislason does not have much time left before the European Championship opener against Switzerland on January 10. This was one of the reasons why the Icelander opted to start with established players such as Golla and Juri Knorr in front of returning Silvio Heinevetter in goal - and saw a strong opening phase. Excellent counter-attacking play gave the German team an early lead, and after trailing 0:2 at the start, Gislason's charges extended their lead to four goals at 7:3 (9'). However, the physically strong Egyptians not only held on, but also took the lead again at 9:10 (18').
The DHB team, which appeared more unstable after the first personnel changes, now made mistake after mistake in attack and Heinevetter hardly got a hold of the ball at the back. After just 20 minutes, Gislason brought on Wolff, who has yet to play a competitive match for his club Industria Kielce this season. However, like his predecessor, the 2016 European champion found it difficult to get into the game. Germany trailed for a long time. In debutant Späth from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, the third keeper stood between the posts after the break - and he did his best job and increasingly improved.
Germany took the lead again at 21:20 (38') and gave the sixth-placed team in the World Cup a tough fight to the end. Alongside the furious Späth, Nils Lichtlein (Füchse Berlin) and left winger Tim Nothdurft from Bergischer HC also celebrated their international debuts.
The national handball team, led by coach Alfred Gislason, showcased both strengths and weaknesses in their draw against Egypt, with technical errors marring their "first suit" in attack and defense. Gislason expressed his concern about these mistakes, referring to Handball as they look towards the European Championship.
Despite these challenges, Germany's national handball team continues to prepare for the European Championship, with key players like goalkeeper Andreas Wolff making a comeback and newcomers like debutant David Späth showcasing promising skills in goal.
Source: www.ntv.de
