Handball World Cup: Germany defeated Poland in the opening game 35:28

As his teammates exuberantly celebrated the successful start of the World Cup against Poland, playmaker Juri Knorr crept across the field in ailing state and repeatedly grabbed his leg. The alleged injury to the German playmaker dampened the mood a little bit about the 35:28 (15:14) victory of the German handball players. Arm in arm with his teammates, a smile finally flashed across the face of the crowd favorite, who had to leave with a good 20 minutes to go.

The best German thrower in Herning, Denmark, was Renars Uscins with ten goals. The next opponent of the DHB selection is Switzerland on Friday. The Swiss drew 17:17 from the Czech Republic in their first tournament game. With another win, Germany would book their ticket for the main round early.

“I thought we went a bit over the top in the first ten minutes. We were lucky that we were leading at half-time,” said Gislason on ARD and was only partially satisfied with the performance. That’s how goalkeeper Andreas Wolff saw it: “We can be more than happy with plus seven. Opening games are of course difficult, but we have to deal with how. Ultimately, it’s a nice result.”

Regarding Knorr’s injury, Gislason said: “It was wet. He slipped a little. I asked him. He said it was a sprain. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Germany started in its best possible formation – with Knorr and whiz kid Uscins in the backcourt and captain Johannes Golla at the circle. And yet the DHB selection seemed unsettled by its experienced top performers and, as in the test against Brazil, showed major weaknesses in the attacking game. There was a lack of precision in the forward tempo game. Gislason was boiling after just five minutes.

Above all, the Icelander didn’t like how his young star took advantage of his chances at all – Uscins missed three of his first four throws on goal. The Olympic silver medalist was unable to use the advantage over several phases to pull away. At the same time, the German defense left too much space for the Poles, who were repeatedly successful across the circle.

After the 1-0 win, the German selection was narrowly behind throughout. It wasn’t until the half-time whistle that Golla brought his team back into the lead. “We’re missing the easy goals,” complained team manager Benjamin Chatton on ARD and said: “Andi Wolff didn’t have a situation in which he really came into play.”

One of the few bright spots in the German team was Luca Witzke, who sustainably revitalized the DHB team’s offensive game. His goal after the break started a 3-0 run, with the favorites pulling ahead to 18:15. When the DHB team seemed to be playing in a frenzy, a lack of concentration crept in again when it came to the shots.

When the score was 21:21, leading player Knorr limped off the field with a contorted face and was treated for his knee on the sideline. Lying on the ground, the German crowd favorite saw his teammates ignite the turbo and take the lead again with three goals (24:21).

Wolff also came into his own in this phase, saving two seven-meter throws. In the end, Marko Grgic, the youngest in the DHB squad, provided a breath of fresh air so that victory was no longer in danger.

Note: This article has been updated.