Germany’s handball players held their nerve in the showdown against Spain and powered into the main round when the team led by the recently criticized Gislason won 34-32 (17-15) against Spain. That was enough to win the group, and instead of heading home, the German squad now enter the next phase of the tournament carrying two points into the main round.
"I’m relieved and extremely proud of the guys for winning this game. Especially the way they did it: both in attack and defense, they were outstanding. We managed to get more out of the second wave against Spain, which is usually their big strength to shut down," Gislason told ZDF about the crucial win. "We firmly believed that we could advance with a victory," emphasized Captain Johannes Golla.
Help from Austria
The German squad put in a spirited performance in front of 9,526 spectators. At the back, goalkeeper David Späth made several spectacular saves in the closing stages, and the defense was resolute. Up front, the German team, which had earlier benefited from Austria’s win (26-25 over Serbia), impressed with their versatility and strong shooting accuracy.
Renars Uscins and Juri Knorr were especially hard to stop, and pivot Justus Fischer also shone. Uscins finished as Germany’s leading goal scorer with eight goals, Knorr netted five times, and was full of energy in the charged atmosphere of the Jyske Bank Boxen.
In the main round, Germany will face Denmark (world champions and Olympic gold medalists), defending champions France, and Norway starting Thursday. The fourth opponent will be either Portugal or North Macedonia. All of Germany’s matches will be played in Herning.