AWhen backcourt player Paul Drux put himself in the goal at half-time and saved a few shots, it initially seemed like encouraging fun in the Ondrej Nepela Arena. In fact, however, an emergency program started: “We had planned Drux as a goalkeeper if Jogi couldn’t do it anymore,” said national coach Alfred Gislason later, “Paul was the only one who dared to do it.” A wealth of ideas helps handball in these strange days -EM. Because nine German professionals were missing against Poland on Tuesday evening after positive corona tests, creative solutions had to be found.
It would have been entertaining to witness Drux’s goalkeeping skills. Luckily from a German point of view, 39-year-old Johannes Bitter persevered as the last goalkeeper in the squad and actively helped the German team win 30:23. His 25 percent repelled throws were worthy of all honor – Bitter, national player on call, had only traveled from Hamburg to Bratislava via Vienna on Tuesday morning, had had two negative corona tests and played through in the evening because both goalkeepers, Andreas Wolff and Till Klimpke, stayed isolated in their single rooms in the hotel.
Rune Dahmke, the Kiel left winger, was on the plane with Bitter. He said happily: “I saw my team here for the first time on the bus to the hall. But I noticed immediately what a good atmosphere there was.” After the shock of the past 36 hours, Gislason’s team pulled itself together for the best tournament performance – the defense around Johannes Golla and Patrick Wiencek touched concrete in the center and was almost impossible to overcome. That was the key to victory.
The Germans are happy about two points for the main round. There it is on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday against Spain, Norway, Sweden and Russia. “We take everything and want to win everything,” said left-hander Christoph Steinert, the tournament discovery, this time top scorer with nine goals, “from now on there will only be finals.” In fact, the team can make their way to the semi-finals in Budapest even defeat.
Before the game, thoughts were different. “On Monday evening we asked all the players if they would like to drop out of the tournament,” said sporting director Axel Kromer. We would have discussed the point of returning home if the team had said it was no longer possible grown.
And gets even bigger. Goalkeeper Daniel Rebmann and left winger Patrick Zieker from Germany are expected to join on Wednesday. Julius Kühn is expected back on Thursday, the other Corona cases in the days that follow. Because no one can explain the corona outbreak, it was even considered not to train. Kromer didn’t want to go that far: “We will continue to focus the minimal contacts we have on training.”
In the game, no German shied away from contact. They doggedly defended their goal. With ten corona cases since January 12, Poland has been shaken in a similar way to the DHB. Four regular players of the inner block were missing. They have professionals from the Champions League club Kielce, but also many from smaller clubs – they are in the process of building up for the home World Cup in 2023. It was 15:13 at halftime and 19:15 in the 40th minute a clear victory that was certain at 26:21 five minutes before the end.
Defying Corona and showing resilience, Captain Golla liked that: “It’s great that the boys came from Germany. This hasn’t made us any worse. My thanks go to them.” The admired man of the evening was one who had been there from the start: Gummersbacher Julian Köster, 21, needed six attempts to score six goals, played well at the back and made fine passes up front. “Now all doubters have understood how good he is,” Gislason said with a satisfied grin.
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