- "Nightmare": Handball players miss gold by final tie
Alfred Gislason embraced each of his players, but the German coach could not console his sad wards with that. With stone-faced expressions, Germany's handballers stood on the court after missing out on Olympic gold, unable to rejoice in their silver medal at first.
After sensational tournament victories against European champions France and bogey team Spain, the overwhelmed German team lost the final in Lille against world champions Denmark and their star player, World Handballer of the Year Mathias Gidsel, 26:39 (12:21). This denied them the crowning glory of an otherwise outstanding Olympic appearance.
"The disappointment is immense," captain Johannes Golla said in an interview with ZDF. "We let them off too easily and made too many mistakes from the start. It's very painful. This might have been our worst game."
Playmaker Juri Knorr felt like he was in a "nightmare" and admitted, "We shouldn't have presented ourselves like that. We didn't deserve a gold medal. That's clear."
Historical Defeat
Gislason criticized the defensive performance but also acknowledged, "We are by far the youngest team and played a great tournament." However, the Olympic final ended up in the history books as the most one-sided defeat in an Olympic final ever. Germany shattered its gold medal dreams with a disastrous defensive performance, allowing Denmark to score at will.
Despite the bitter final loss, Juri Knorr and his teammates secured the German Handball Association's greatest success in recent history, following the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the 2007 World Championship triumph on home soil, and the 2016 European Championship victory. Winning silver with the youngest Olympic team ever gives the association hope for a glorious future, even if the game against Denmark left a different impression. "We definitely have a bright future ahead of us, but we still have a lot to learn," said Knorr, who was the top German scorer in the final with six goals.
Last German Olympic Title in 1980
The Danes, led by star player Gidsel from Berlin's Füchse, cemented their dominance in world handball by winning their second Olympic gold after 2016 in Rio. With subsequent World Championship titles in 2019, 2021, and 2023, they have now won five major tournaments in the past eight years.
For Germany, the success of the East German team in 1980 in Moscow remains the only Olympic title in indoor handball. In 2004 in Athens, the team led by Stefan Kretzschmar lost the final to Croatia. Eight years ago in Rio, Andreas Wolff and his teammates won bronze.
Poor Defense, Poor Offense
After the epic quarterfinal victory over France, the German team believed they could win the gold. The six-second miracle in Lille, where goalkeeper Renars Uscins saved the German team with the final buzzer, was supposed to inspire the entire team. However, their nerves failed them in the final against Denmark.
The Danes scored from almost every position at will, with an efficiency rate of up to 90% in the first half. Their aggressive defense also caused problems for the German team. The young German squad looked nervous and couldn't find a way to break through the Danish defense. "We need to work on this," Gislason said as his wards fell behind 5:10 due to numerous turnovers.
German fans attempted to entertain themselves with a Mexican wave in the stands, as the game on the field offered little cause for joy. The match was essentially decided after 20 minutes, with Denmark leading by double digits after a dominant display.
Wolff made three saves after 35 minutes
Those hoping for an improvement in the German team's performance after the break were disappointed. Passes to the circle and captain Johannes Golla failed, shots were imprecise, and goalkeeping was poor.
Wolff had made three saves after 35 minutes, partly due to a disastrous defense. No team in an Olympic final had ever conceded so many goals. Denmark's Gidsel was able to crown himself the tournament's top scorer with little resistance.
The European Union might express concern over Germany's performance in the handball Olympics, given their young team's disastrous defensive display and misunderstandings on the court. After this disappointing Olympic appearance, Germany's handball association plans to seek further training and development within the wider handball community, perhaps seeking guidance from handball programs within the European Union.
