Only sixth place
Bankruptcy for handball players at the end of the World Cup
The German handball players finished the World Cup in sixth place. photo
© -/dpa
The German handball players suffered a clear defeat in the last World Cup game, which somewhat diminished the overall good tournament result. The next goal is the Olympic ticket.
The team of national coach Markus Gaugisch delivered a weak performance in its last tournament appearance in Herning and finished the World Cup in sixth place after beating the Netherlands 26:30 (7:16).
The best World Cup result since winning bronze 16 years ago was initially only a small consolation. “It’s hard for us right now, everyone is empty. The defeat is sobering and hurts,” said Gaugisch. “We didn’t manage to survive today individually or as a team.”
The best throwers in front of around 2,000 spectators were left winger Antje Döll with seven goals and co-captain Alina Grijseels (6). “The result flatters us. That wasn’t what we had planned,” said Döll. “Of course we are disappointed and frustrated now. But overall we don’t have to be dissatisfied.”
Paris ticket at a glance
The focus now turns to the Olympic qualification coming up in the spring. The DHB selection meets Montenegro, Slovenia and Paraguay. The top two in the tournament will win their ticket to the Summer Games in Paris. “We are full of hope that we will be there again for the first time since 2008,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer.
He gave the team a proper World Cup certificate before the start of the game for fifth place. “We have taken a step forward. As a collective, the team’s average performance has moved up significantly,” said Kromer. However, the DHB selection could not confirm this at the end against the Netherlands.
As in the crushing 20:27 defeat in the quarter-finals against Sweden, when the first goal only came after 14 minutes, the German team slept through the initial phase. This time it took twelve and a half minutes before Grijseels created their first sense of success with a seven-meter penalty to make it 1:6. “We have to ask ourselves why we played so badly against Sweden and the Netherlands. That can’t happen to us if we want to be among the top four nations at some point,” said the backcourt player.
The DHB selection’s attack didn’t get any better after that either. Rather, the next shocking moment came in the middle of the first half when backcourt player Viola Leuchter was injured without any influence from the opponent and limped off the floor with her face distorted in pain. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital for a detailed examination. “We are very sad about the injury,” said Gaugisch.
Funds limited on this day
The failure further weakened the already unsettled German selection. After 22 minutes, the deficit was eight goals for the first time at 4:12. At the front, Gaugisch’s protégés repeatedly failed because of the strong Dutch goalkeeper Yara Ten Holte, and at the back they offered their opponents too many gaps. At halftime the game was already decided.
The DHB team never gave up despite the hopeless situation. But even after the change, it remained a one-sided affair. At times, Germany was even eleven goals behind. Gaugisch repeatedly tried to motivate his players on the sidelines, but resources were limited that day.
“It went completely differently than I expected. I assumed that we would tear ourselves apart again and play a game on equal terms,” admitted co-captain Emily Bölk self-critically. It was only when the Oranje team, anticipating a certain victory, let the reins slide in the final phase that the German team was able to make the result a little more friendly.