Before the duel with Italy: Worries about handball player Knorr again: “I have a sore throat”

Before the supposed final in the fight for the World Cup quarter-finals, the health of leading player Juri Knorr is once again causing concern for the German handball players. “Juri was under the weather. He has a cold,” reported national coach Alfred Gislason after the 30:40 defeat at the start of the main round against Denmark. Luca Witzke replaced Knorr in the backcourt for long stretches.

Knorr’s mood was correspondingly bad immediately after the game. With a thick towel around his neck, the 24-year-old ran quickly through the interview zone. The German playmaker wasn’t ready to talk and just wanted to take a hot shower. “I have a sore throat,” Knorr simply said and disappeared into the cabin.

First a knee injury, now a cold

A failure of the leading player would probably come at the worst possible time in the tournament. Finally, the DHB selection probably has the all-important game in the fight for the quarter-finals on Thursday against Italy (6 p.m./ZDF and Sportdeutschland.TV). If the Olympic silver medalist loses to the surprise team, the medal mission is likely to end early. It is all the more important that Knorr is fit.

This is not the first time in this tournament that there is a question mark behind Knorr’s effort. At the start of the World Cup against Poland, the Bundesliga professional from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen suffered a knee injury, but was finally able to play in the following games against Switzerland and the Czech Republic – and also convince.