Outstanding DHB women outclass Poland
Germany's handball players are unstoppable in the World Cup: The DHB team wins the top match against Poland - and surprisingly clearly. The title contenders now await the group winners in the main round.
After their gala performance, the German handball players bounced around exuberantly and celebrated their commanding group victory to the party song "Celebration". Thanks to an outstanding defensive performance, the DHB team defeated their opponents Poland 33:17 (19:10) in Herning, Denmark, on Monday and advanced to the main round with maximum points. The best German scorer was co-captain Alina Grijseels with seven goals.
"I'm very satisfied because we simply defended very actively right from the start. That was the key to success," said national coach Markus Gaugisch, who was impressed by the low number of goals conceded. "We were also able to make changes. Small adjustments that had an immediate effect. I think that was a really great performance."
In the second phase of the tournament, Germany will face title contenders Denmark, Romania and probably Serbia in a group of six. The first main round duel for the German squad is on Thursday. The teams will take their points from the preliminary round with them. The two best teams in the group will then qualify for the quarter-finals. Co-captain Emily Bölk described the game against Poland as "maximum fun. Everyone was on fire from the very first second. We were able to implement exactly what we had planned for the match," said the 25-year-old.
The Poles were to be the first real tough test for the German team. After the opening games against two unorthodox teams from Asia, the style of play of the Eastern Europeans was a familiar one. Straightforward, physical and with a lot of pace. "The retreat will be the key," announced circle player Julia Behnke and warned against the fast wing players and big backcourt players. The German defensive players were correspondingly aggressive in their one-on-one duels. The defensive block stood firm. Grijseels and Co. closed down the passing lanes well and exerted massive pressure on the Poles, who took a timeout after just eleven minutes and a four-goal deficit.
Everything went right after the break
1800 spectators watched an extremely physical game. Ten minutes before the break, Germany were playing with a double deficit following two fouls. But thanks to two goals from Xenia Smits and a save from goalkeeper Katharina Filter, the DHB team survived this phase unscathed. Suddenly, everything clicked and Germany extended its lead to ten goals (19:9).
Compared to the opening games, the Germans looked transformed. The emotions released additional reserves of energy. The highly concentrated DHB players made almost no technical mistakes. In the first ten minutes after the break, the team led by co-captain Emily Bölk only conceded one goal, but scored seven times themselves.
The Polish attack was completely shut down and the game had long been decided with a 17-goal lead. Spurred on by the improved performance of her team-mates, keeper Filter also played her best game so far at this World Cup in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The DHB team can now start the main round as co-favorites for the quarter-finals with a great deal of self-confidence.
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Following their impressive victory, the German handball team eagerly preparations for their next match, with title contenders Denmark, Romania, and potentially Serbia in their group for the main round. In recognition of their outstanding performance against Poland, the DHB handball - folder will undoubtedly hold important strategies and statistics from their commanding 33:17 win.
Co-captain Emily Bölk was thrilled with the team's masterful execution, pointing out the key to their success - their aggressive defensive play that had a significant impact on shutting down Poland's attacks.
Source: www.ntv.de
