DHB test game: World Cup in view: handball players win against Brazil

The German handball players got in the mood for the World Cup with a lackluster friendly win against Brazil. The promising squad of national coach Alfred Gislason clearly defeated the South Americans in Flensburg with 32:25 (13:13) thanks to a strong final spurt. However, especially in the first half, the performance of the German silver heroes rarely reminded of the outstanding performances at the Olympic Games. The best DHB throwers were Renars Uscins, Marko Grgic and Lukas Zerbe with four goals each.

“We needed the first 15 minutes to get into the game. We did better after that, and the second half was better throughout,” said captain Johannes Golla on ZDF. The mood in the team is very good just before the World Cup. “We’re coming off a successful year, which brings us together. We’re happy that the tournament is now approaching,” said Golla: “The foundation is very good for playing handball successfully.”

On Saturday (4:20 p.m.) both teams will face each other again for the World Cup dress rehearsal in Hamburg. Then national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff should also get more playing time. The 33-year-old became a father for the first time on Thursday and was spared by Gislason – but cheered on his teammates from the sidelines.

On Monday the DHB selection travels to Denmark, where they start the tournament against Poland on Wednesday. Other opponents in the preliminary round are Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The German team wants to confirm their silver medal at the Olympic Games and win their first World Cup medal since the 2007 title.

Germany misses the attack

In front of 5,569 spectators in the sold-out Flensburg Hall, the German squad was far from its best in the early stages. The hosts were particularly weak in attack. Franz Semper and Marko Grgic’s shots lacked precision, and poor communication led to a high error rate. On the other side, the guests scored comparatively easy goals and took a quick 6:3 lead.

With the substitution of Justus Fischer and high-flyer Renars Uscins, the German defense stabilized. Cyclist Fischer is of particular importance for the DHB’s medal mission due to his all-rounder abilities and the absence of Jannik Kohlbacher. After his outstanding performances at the Olympics, Uscins has become an integral part of the German team.

First two-goal lead after almost 40 minutes

After the break, the selection around Johannes Golla created clearer chances. Around 20 minutes before the end of the game, the captain gave his team the lead for the first time with two goals (18:16).

In playmaker Juri Knorr, Julian Köster and Christoph Steinert, Gislason now brought experienced players who had also successfully mastered many pressure situations at the Summer Games in Paris. The error rate suddenly decreased and Brazil found gaps in the German defense less and less often. So the DHB team put it at 25:20, the game was basically decided.