European Championship semi-finals
Phenomenal handball: Gislason raves about Denmark
Handball national coach Alfred Gislason and his team will face Denmark in the European Championship semi-finals. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
A herculean task awaits the German handball players in the European Championship semi-finals against Denmark. For the national coach, the rival is the best team in the world.
The home advantage for the DHB selection in the game on Friday (8.30 p.m. / ZDF and Dyn) is a factor that “can inspire us. But the Danes are so experienced that it won’t matter to them,” explained the 64-year-old old Icelanders. “We know we need the best performance in recent years to beat them.”
Nevertheless, Gislason does not see his team without a chance in the duel with the three-time world champions. “It will be an interesting game in which we have to put up our best defense. We are really happy, we will enjoy the game and do everything we can to annoy the Danes,” said the national coach.
Denmark coach praises Gislason
Despite being the favorite, Denmark’s coach Nikolaj Jacobsen approaches the task with respect. “The German team put up a good defense in the tournament. Andreas Wolff in goal showed his great class in key moments. Julian Köster and Juri Knorr play very well, Kai Häfner is very experienced. And they have two of the world’s best in Johannes Golla and Jannik Kohlbacher Circulator. We know it will be difficult,” said Jacobsen.
Jacobsen spoke highly of national coach Gislason. “Alfred is an excellent coach and one of the best there has ever been. He has proven that in Kiel for many years. There is not much to say about his successes,” explained Jacobsen.
This could be an important factor in the duel. “He has a lot of experience. That’s why we know that Germany has huge capacity on the bench,” said Jacobsen. The 52-year-old knows Gislason from his time at the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, which he coached from 2014 to 2019. “There were always good duels between the Lions and Kiel. During the game we weren’t always the best of friends, but after the game, despite the short time, we often drank a beer together and talked briefly,” reported Jacobsen.