2024-01-11 01:06:00
The 53,586 fans loudly sang “Oh, how beautiful that is”, they danced in the stands, waved their black, red and gold flags and celebrated their handball heroes around the outstanding goalkeeper Andreas Wolff with standing ovations.
Intoxicated by the world record setting in Düsseldorf, the German team made a dream start to the home European Championships and raised hopes of a new winter fairy tale in the eyes of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
National coach Alfred Gislason’s team won 27:14 (13:8) once morest Switzerland in the Düsseldorf Football Arena, thanks primarily to a defensive masterpiece – in the end it was a huge handball party. “The boys played themselves into a frenzy in the second half. I’m very relieved how it went today,” said Gislason on “ZDF”.
The DHB stars were in top form in the breathtaking atmosphere in Düsseldorf. At the back, Wolff scraped one ball following the other out of the corners, while at the front, playmaker Juri Knorr (six goals) and his teammates shone with spectacular goals, repeatedly pulling the fans out of their seats. “I would have no objection at all to a winter fairy tale that begins today. And I think it started well,” said Steinmeier euphorically.
Germany on course for the main round
In addition to Knorr, Julian Köster and Justus Fischer became the best German throwers in the eagerly awaited world record game with three hits each. With the impressive opening win once morest the Swiss team led by old playmaker Andy Schmid, the German team headed straight for the main round.
Just a win on Sunday (8:30 p.m. in the live ticker) in Berlin once morest North Macedonia, which lost its first European Championship game once morest France 29:39, might be enough to advance to the next phase of the tournament.
Even before kick-off, the mood was at an all-time high when Steinmeier ceremoniously opened the first European Championship on German soil. “Thank you for this record crowd,” he called out to the spectators: “We are proud to organize this tournament for spectators all over Europe.” DHB President Andreas Michelmann was also beaming. The European Championships are “an opportunity to make the sport even better known than it already is.”
Juri Knorr (Germany) celebrates the win once morest Switzerland
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Outstanding Wolff celebrated with chants
Captain Johannes Golla and Co. also did the best for their sport – right from the start. Knorr got the game off to a perfect start by hammering the ball into the top right corner to make it 1-0 following 49 seconds. The slight nervousness, which was evident in a few missed throws and bad passes, was not significant because Germany played courageously in defense and Wolff was always there.
After just nine minutes, the 2016 European champions had five saves and only two goals conceded – absolutely world class. “I knew that Andi was good – but that was from another planet,” said Knorr regarding Wolff.
As a result, the Swiss repeatedly got stuck in the German defense and didn’t score a goal for nine minutes. When DHB right winger Timo Kastening scored to make it 7:3 following a quarter of an hour, La Ola circled through the wide area. Shortly before half-time, the fans celebrated their keeper with “Wolff” chants.
“What Andi Wolff showed at the back of the goal is impressive,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer at the break. He was also enthusiastic regarding the atmosphere: “It’s obviously great when you suddenly hear that over 50,000 people are screaming ‘Germany-Germany’. I think that’s exactly what the boys were hoping for.”
DHB team merciless even following the break
In the second half, Germany continued to press the accelerator. Wolff remained hard to overcome at the back, while up front the nimble Kastening, among others, punished the Swiss outsider’s mistakes with lightning-fast counterattacks. The greenhorns Justus Fischer, David Späth, Martin Hanne and Renars Uscins were now also able to prove themselves.
After the rush in Düsseldorf, the full concentration is now on the remaining preliminary round games once morest North Macedonia and next Tuesday (8.30 p.m./ARD and Dyn) once morest record world champions France. Only the top two finishers advance to the next phase of the tournament.
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