European Championship qualification: German handball players win group

Germany's handball players stormed toward goal scorer Juri Knorr after the last-second equalizer, but no one was really ready to celebrate winning their group in the European Championship qualifiers. Even national coach Alfred Gislason sat pensively on the sidelines after the 32:32 (11:14) defeat, as the furious German final spurt was preceded by a festival of errors.

"We can be happy about this point. We're through now, but it was a warning shot across the bow," said DHB Sports Director Ingo Meckes. Alfred Gislason complained that "some players had gone into the game far too relaxed." "The first half was extremely poor from us, both in attack and defense. The response came in the second half, which was much better."

With just eight minutes remaining, Germany trailed by four goals before a strong finish secured the draw. Knorr equalized with a penalty in the final second. In addition to Knorr (6 goals), Luca Witzke (5) and debutant Mathis Häseler (4) also impressed in the comeback in front of 8,354 spectators at Zurich's Hallenstadion.

Germany now leads the group with an unassailable 8-2 record, ahead of Switzerland and Austria (6-4 each). The European Championship qualification finale takes place on Sunday against Turkey in Stuttgart (6:00 p.m./Sportschau.de and Dyn).

The German Handball Federation (DHB) team had already secured its spot at the European Championships before the international match against Switzerland. However, first place is crucial in terms of seeding for the final round. The draw will take place next week on May 15 in Herning, Denmark.

"We have to do everything we can to win the game. Then we'll be uncatchable in first place, that's our goal," Gislason said before the match – and then had to watch his team get off to a bad start.

Technical deficiencies, hair-raising misplaced passes, and even more missed opportunities: The German team delivered a very poor performance for long stretches. Although goalkeeper Andreas Wolff managed to clear a few balls out of the corners, Germany quickly fell behind and struggled, especially offensively.

Because Marko Grgic and Tim Freihöfer missed two penalty shots in the opening minutes, Switzerland led 5-1 after ten minutes. Gislason called his first timeout early, substituting the entire backcourt—but even a brief thunderstorm from the Icelander didn't really help.

Although substitutes Miro Schluroff, Knorr, and Julian Köster reduced the deficit to 4:5 (15th minute), SC Magdeburg's Swiss goalkeeper Nikola Portner then sealed the goal, and the hosts pulled away again. When the DHB team conceded two goals, making it 8:13, even with a man advantage, a debacle threatened (26th minute).

Captain Johannes Golla and his team struggled in vain in the second half. Anyone expecting a resurgence from the German team was disappointed. The Swiss, coached by Andy Schmid, repeatedly scored goals with their 7:6 attacking style.

Even though Häseler from Gummersbach – one of seven Junior World Champions in 2023 – attracted attention with some fine moves on the right wing, Germany still seemed to be without a plan. It wasn't until very late on that Gislason's team finally got close – and Knorr took advantage of the opportunity from seven meters.

RND/SID