Handball - World Cup setback: DHB women finish second in group and reach quarter-finals
Germany's handball players missed out on a surprise victory against title contenders Denmark at the World Championships in Scandinavia and will start the quarter-finals as group runners-up.
The DHB team lost 28:30 (13:15) against the European Championship runners-up, who were loudly supported by their home fans, and conceded their first World Championship defeat after five previous victories. The best German scorer in Herning was co-captain Emily Bölk with five goals.
The national team of national coach Markus Gaugisch will face co-hosts Sweden in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. "Of course, they have great quality. We won one game. But we've also seen that they can shoot us down in ten minutes," said the coach about the two encounters with the three-crown team immediately before the tournament. Germany's last World Cup medal was 16 years ago - they won bronze in 2007.
Against a roaring whistle
After advancing to the quarter-finals early and securing their ticket to the Olympic qualifying tournament, the DHB team started the game with a lot of confidence in front of around 10,000 spectators. Not least because playmaker Alina Grijseels was fit again after her thigh contusion. "Don't be shy" was the motto for the match against the robust one-on-one players from the neighboring country.
The DHB team was not intimidated by the strong Danish goalkeeping duo or the roaring whistles of the white and red masses. Thanks to three goals from center Julia Behnke, the underdogs got off to a good start. Germany even survived a double deficit unscathed. The fact that Gaugisch's team were still trailing afterwards was also due to three missed seven-metre penalties.
Lifters set the mood
After Grijseels and Mareike Thomaier had both missed, Bölk tried her luck from the spot - and equalized five minutes before the break to make it 13:13. The DHB team repeatedly created chances, especially from the circle. Two remarkable lobs from the European Championship runners-up brought the mood back to the stands.
Immediately after the break, the DHB team was too unfocused and made several technical errors in the space of a few minutes. The World Championship bronze medallists took advantage of their opponents' weak phase and pulled four goals ahead (16:20). The fact that Bölk had already conceded two time penalties at this point and no longer showed the necessary toughness in the duels also proved fatal for the German team.
Döll with a chance to equalize
The Danes now took control of the game. The defense was more compact and gaps opened up in the German defense. However, led by leading player Bölk, the DHB team did not give up and stayed in the game thanks to saves by goalkeeper Katharina Filter. Antje Döll had the chance to equalize nine minutes before the end - but the game could not be turned around.
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- Despite a surprising defeat against Denmark, the DHB women's national team, led by coach Markus Gaugisch, managed to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the WM in Scandinavia.
- Alina Grijseels, the German playmaker, returned to the DHB team after recovering from a thigh contusion, boosting their confidence against Denmark in the WM group stage.
- Emily Bölk, co-captain of the DHB team, was their top scorer with five goals in the World Championship match against Denmark, but it wasn't enough to secure a victory.
- The DHB team faced a challenging quarter-final match against co-hosts Sweden, who they will meet on Wednesday in the WM, having previously won one game and narrowly missing out on a surprise victory against Denmark.
- The Danish national team, supported by their home fans in Herning, proved to be a formidable opponent for the DHB team, who conceded their first World Championship defeat after five victories, ending their hopes of a surprise title run.
- European Championship runners-up Denmark, led by their strong goalkeeping duo, outplayed the DHB team in key moments, particularly after the break, when the Germans struggled to maintain their focus and made several technical errors.
- The Women's Handball World Cup featured international teams from around the globe, including Germany and Denmark, as both nations looked to secure a place in the medal rounds and cement their status as top Handball nations in Scandinavia.
Source: www.stern.de
