The German handball players took a deep breath and then stormed towards Xenia Smits, completely detached. With a goal at the last second, the backcourt player led the DHB selection to their hard-earned World Cup opening victory against Japan.
In a tough game, national coach Markus Gaugisch’s team prevailed 31:30 (18:17) against the outsiders and thus created an optimal starting position for the desired entry into the main round. The best German thrower was co-captain Alina Grijseels with seven hits. With the final siren, Smits scored the victory in front of around 1,700 spectators.
Despite the surprisingly close game, Gaugisch drew a positive conclusion. “It’s not that we played a bad game. We were good. We did a lot of good things,” the 49-year-old praised his players and paid respect to the opponents: “Japan is difficult to defend. Very varied. Man sees that the 16 weeks of the year go through their systems in a very disciplined manner”.
Good news before kick-off
The German team’s other opponents in the preliminary round are Iran on Saturday and Poland on Monday. The best three teams qualify for the second phase of the tournament, the main round. The declared goal of national coach Markus Gaugisch’s squad is to place in the top seven, which would ensure one of the coveted tickets for the Olympic qualifying tournament.
The German national team received good news before kick-off. Backcourt player Smits, who missed the last World Cup test against Sweden due to a thigh injury, was able to play from the start. There wasn’t much to see of the 29-year-old, but she was there at the crucial moment.
Japan repeatedly poses problems for the DHB team
The DHB selection was initially unable to use their physical superiority to their advantage. Emily Bölk and Co. had their problems with the fast play of the agile Japanese women, who were on average ten centimeters shorter. After a temporary three-goal deficit, the Germans took the lead for the first time after a good ten minutes.
In a fast-paced game with many attacks and counter-attacks, the defense was the weak point in the German game. The agreements between the defensive players were not correct and so the Asians kept dancing their way through the back rows. Thanks to some lack of concentration on the part of the Japanese, the DHB team, which was also shaky on offense, still went into the break with a one-goal lead.
Defense more secure after the break
Immediately after the restart, the DHB team pulled ahead by three goals for the first time. Germany created a goal threat, especially through the wing players Amelie Berger and Antje Döll. In addition, the defense was now more secure and forced the outsiders to lose the ball.
Co-captain Grijseels was particularly accurate. The 27-year-old from the top club HB Metz converted confidently both from the seven-meter point and from the game. After around 42 minutes, Gaugisch’s team took the lead for the first time with four goals (25:21).
When everything looked like a confident victory, mistakes crept into the DHB team’s offensive game again – Gaugisch reacted with a time out. In the last minute, events came to a head: Japan equalized, but Smits scored the celebrated final point.
