Alfred Gislason hadn’t expected such a goal show. “The boys were better on their feet than I expected,” admitted the national coach of the German handball players after the effortless 36:26 (17:13) against Brazil, the first of two Olympic form checks before the flight to Tokyo.
Despite hard training and a mammoth season in the legs, the DHB team presented itself fresh and hungry on Friday evening. Gislason found only a few points of criticism in his analysis, which he presented to the rhythmic clapping of the 668 fans in the Nuremberg hall. “That was a good step in the right direction,” said the Icelander.
On Sunday (3:05 p.m. / Sport1) at the dress rehearsal against African champions Egypt, the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) expects a different caliber. And anyway: Nobody wanted to overestimate the sovereign performance against the South Americans – the outsider who is the last German opponent in the group A in the preliminary round. Rightly.
“We shouldn’t take off because there is no reason for that,” affirmed Timo Kastening. The right winger was only used against Brazil in the second half, but became the best thrower of the DHB team with seven goals. All outside players presented themselves strongly and benefited from the good switching behavior after many ball wins on the defensive.