Olympia can come: DHB-Team dominates next test
German Handballers are ready for the Olympics. A few days before the season peak in France, the DHB team wins its next test match: Against Hungary, the team coached by Alfred Gislason plays highly concentrated and dominates from the start.
Second test, second win: The German handballers gained more self-confidence before their Olympic medal mission with another victory. The German team, led by national coach Alfred Gislason, also won the preparation game against Hungary 33:29 (20:13) and boosted the hope for a top result in France a week before the Olympic start.
Left winger Lukas Mertens (6 goals) was the best scorer for the German team in front of 5,022 spectators in Stuttgart. Six days after the 35:30 against Olympic champions and European champions France in Dortmund, Germany started off strongly. However, the offensive engine faltered a bit after an extremely dominant first half, but the success against the Olympic participant was never in danger.
On Sunday (17.30 hours/Sport1), there is another test match against group stage opponent Japan before departure to the French capital. The opening match at the Olympic tournament in Paris and Lille is six days later on Saturday (19 hours/ARD and Eurosport) against the EM third place Sweden.
Mertens in the cabin after a punch in the face
It was already 6:2 in favor of the German team in the fifth minute, thanks to a strong defense by outside players Mertens and Tim Hornke. The initial impression was reinforced: At 8:3 (10.), the Spanish coach of Hungary, Chema Rodriguez, took his first timeout.
The German defense had already worked well against record world champions France, and the Hungarians found it difficult to get through against Johannes Golla, who started with a strong center block with shooting star Julian Köster. Since the German team also played offensively effectively, the lead grew further under difficult conditions in the Stuttgart hall, to a maximum of eight goals - 15:7 (20.).
Without Franz Semper, who had not yet joined the DHB team in the final preparation phase due to private reasons, Gislason used the comfortable situation to test tactical variations such as the Seven-against-Six in attack. The game slowed down a bit in the following. The German team was behind after personnel changes, with Jannik Kohlbacher coming in on his 29th birthday, and Juri Knorr's deputies setting their colleagues in motion. After the break, Luca Witzke was allowed to prove himself.
However, the German team missed its initial offensive effectiveness in the second part. The fifth-placed team from the EM was now defensively much more stable and reduced the lead to two goals at 26:24 (51). Germany scored as many goals in the first quarter of the second half as in the first half after five minutes. Additionally, Mertens, the only left winger in the DHB squad, had to leave the game prematurely after a punch in the face. The game became even more competitive. Knorr, who was back in the game, set important accents again.
The German handball national team, under the guidance of coach Alfred Gislason, builds momentum towards the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris with their second consecutive victory. In the preparation match against Hungary, they displayed strong defense and offensive play, winning 33:29.
The impending absence of Lukas Mertens due to a facial injury from a punch during the game against Hungary could pose a challenge for the German team, as he was their top scorer with six goals in their previous victory.
