The German men’s handball team is competing for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. In the semifinals on Friday (09.08.2024), they defeated Spain 25:24. The standout player for national coach Alfred Gislason was goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, who made an impressive 22 saves. The DHB team will now face the heavy favorites, Denmark, in the final.
Germany, which has the youngest team in the tournament with an average age of 26.8 years, has reached the Olympic final for the first time in 20 years. Their opponent in the final on Sunday (1:30 p.m.) will be world champion Denmark, who won against Slovenia 31:30 in the second semifinals.
Gislason praises Wolff – Wolff praises the fans
Gislason knew precisely whom to thank afterward. “I told him that I have seen many good games from him, but that was the best and most important. I’m really happy for him; he was unhappy with himself in the last two games.” Overall, his team defended well and attacked effectively, except for the last ten minutes of the first half, said the 64-year-old coach.
Wolff, who last played in goal during Germany’s most recent major tournament final at the 2016 European Championship, emphasized the positive atmosphere created by their fans: “Fortunately, a lot of German fans come to our games and provide fantastic support. This atmosphere helped us navigate through one or two challenging phases in this match.”
Four-goal lead surrendered
The German defense started off strong, and the Iberians initially struggled to get past the 6-0 formation, having difficulty scoring. Andreas Wolff was on point from the beginning and thwarted the opponent’s first four attempts. Germany quickly established a 3-0 lead after just over five minutes.
Spanish coach Jordi Ribera took a timeout, and his team scored twice. The game became more open, as it had been in the preliminary rounds, and Spain managed to equalize at 6:6. Momentum then shifted back to Gislason’s team. When Sebastian Heymann made it 11:7 after a little over 20 minutes, Germany seemed to have regained control. However, three consecutive goals from Spain erased their comfortable lead. By the end of the first half, Alex Dujshebaev managed to equalize at 12:12.
Thriller in the final minutes
Everything started anew in the second half: backcourt ace Renars Uscins, who had made the semifinals possible with two spectacular goals against France, and right winger Christoph Steinert initially gave Germany a two-goal lead. But Spain refused to back down, continually equalizing the deficit.
After Uscins missed a seven-meter throw with the score at 22:22, the southern Europeans seized the opportunity to take their first lead of the match (50th minute). The DHB team had to respond and follow suit. Shortly after, Gislason called a timeout to calmly explain the plan for the last eight minutes, but Uscins’ first shot went astray. Wolff made a crucial 19th save, preventing a two-goal deficit, as his teammates began to make too many offensive mistakes. A series of three saves and a goal from Knorr restored the lead for Germany just three minutes before the end.
With 90 seconds left, Gislason called another timeout. Knorr led the next attack, but the Spanish defense provided no gaps, and the Germans continued to run into one another. Ultimately, it was Heymann who attempted a shot, but the Spanish block was solid. Nevertheless, Germany defended strongly and did not allow any goals in the closing seconds.
Denmark edges into the final against Slovenia
In their first final appearance since the Olympic Games in Athens, the DHB team will now face Denmark, the top favorite. The reigning world champions defeated Slovenia 31:30 in their semifinal.
The Danes dominated the game from the outset, quickly building a 4:1 lead. By halftime, they had extended their advantage to five goals (15:10). After the break, the team led by handball star Mathias Gidsel played confidently and quickly, extending their lead to 26:20 by the 45th minute.
However, Slovenia continued to fight and refused to back down. Due to the favorites’ lack of decisiveness in defense, the Slovenians chipped away at the score, and Blaz Janc scored a minute before the end to bring it to 30:31. Denmark now faced real pressure, especially after Mikkel Hansen missed a seven-meter throw with just 15 seconds remaining. Yet, Slovenia could not capitalize on their last attack, and Denmark secured the 31:30 victory.
The German men’s handball team is fighting for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. In the semifinals on Friday (09.08.2024), Spain was beaten 25:24. The outstanding man of national coach Alfred Gislason’s team was goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, who made 22 saves. In the final, the DHB team will now face top favorite Denmark.
Germany, which has the youngest team at the tournament in France with an average age of 26.8 years, is now in the final of the Olympic Games for the first time in 20 years. Its opponent in the final on Sunday (1.30 p.m.) is world champion Denmark, who defeated Slovenia 31:30 in the second semi-final.
Gislason praises Wolff – Wolff praises the fans
Gislason knew exactly who he had to thank afterwards. “I told him that I had seen a lot of good games from him, but that was the best and most important. I’m really happy for him, he was unhappy with himself in the last two games.” Overall, his team defended well and also performed well in attack, except for the last ten minutes of the first half, said the 64-year-old coach.
Wolff, who was in goal at the last German men’s final at a major tournament, the 2016 European Championship, highlighted the good atmosphere in the stands that his team had been able to create: “Fortunately, it is always the case that a lot of German fans come to our games and give us fantastic support. This atmosphere also helped us get through one or two difficult phases in this game.”
Four-goal lead is given away
The German defense was very good at the beginning; the Iberians initially had no way of getting past the offensive 6-0 formation and were unable to score easily. Andreas Wolff, unlike in the group game a week ago, was fully there from the start and thwarted the opponent’s first four attempts. Things went much better on the other side, so Germany was leading 3-0 after just over five minutes.
Spanish coach Jordi Ribera Romans called for a timeout, and his team responded by scoring twice. The game was now open, as it had been in the preliminary round, and Spain managed to equalize at 6:6. Momentum swung back towards Gislason’s men when Sebastian Heymann made it 11:7 after just over 20 minutes, but three goals in a row from the Spaniards wiped out Germany’s lead, ending the half at 12:12.
Thriller in the final minutes
So everything was back to square one for the second half: backcourt ace Renars Uscins, who made the semi-finals possible with two spectacular goals against France, and right winger Christoph Steinert initially secured a two-goal lead. But Spain continued to battle and equalized steadily.
After Uscins missed a seven-meter throw with the score at 22:22, the southern Europeans finally took their first lead of the match (50th minute). Gislason took a timeout to strategize for the last eight minutes, but Uscins’ first shot went wide. Fortunately, Wolff’s 19th save prevented a two-goal deficit. Then, a flurry of Wolff saves and a goal from Knorr restored Germany’s lead three minutes from the end.
With 90 seconds on the clock, Gislason called a timeout. In the following attack, the Spanish defense did not provide openings, and the Germans struggled to execute. Heymann eventually attempted a shot, but was blocked. The German defense remained resolute and nullified any final Spanish scoring chances.
Denmark trembles into the final against Slovenia
In their first final appearance since the Olympic Games in Athens, the DHB selection is set to face top favorite Denmark, who squeezed past Slovenia 31:30 in a thrilling semi-final.
Denmark asserted their dominance early, racing to a 4:1 lead swiftly and maintaining a 15:10 edge at halftime. Even post-break, Mathias Gidsel’s squad seemed to be in control, extending their lead to 26:20 after 45 minutes.
However, Slovenia’s tenacity shone through as they closed the gap, with Blaz Janc scoring to bring them within one goal (30:31) a minute before the end. Denmark faced tensions with Mikkel Hansen missing a seven-meter throw in the final moments, but Slovenia could not capitalize, granting Denmark a narrow victory of 31:30.
| Matchup | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Germany vs. Spain | 25:24 | 09.08.2024 |
| Denmark vs. Slovenia | 31:30 | 09.08.2024 |