A handball final where the suspense drops after 50 minutes is a rarity. The German juniors were kind to the nerves of the more than 8,000 spectators in the packed Max-Schmeling-Halle on Sunday evening – when the score was 27:20 nine minutes before the end, national coach Martin Heuberger’s team was able to switch to celebration mode.
The Hungarians bit their teeth against the German defense in this fair final of the U-21 World Cup. Goalkeeper David Späth in particular had a brilliant day and fended off 16 shots. The professional of the Rhein-Neckar Löwen also parried the last attempt of the Hungarians, who were previously undefeated in the tournament, and cheered while sitting on the ball. In addition to defense chief Justus Fischer from TSV Hannover-Burgdorf and captain Renars Uscins, director Nils Lichtlein guaranteed success over the two weeks of the tournament.
“The deserved reward for a lot of work and preparation”
But on Sunday, Späth stood out. At 30:23 (14:11) he kept his team free. What everyone had expected before the Junior World Championships came true: the talented youngsters from the exceptional vintages of 2002/2003 are world champions. For the German Handball Association (DHB) it is the third title after 2009 and 2011. “For me, the World Cup was already good after winning the quarterfinals against Denmark,” said Captain Uscins, “that was especially true after the win against Serbia on Saturday. We had already achieved almost all of our goals. The title is now the deserved reward for a lot of work and preparation.”
World champion juniors: Germany’s handball players: Image: dpa
On Saturday, Heuberger’s seven in the 40:30 against Serbia had a similarly perfect second half as 24 hours later. Heuberger benefited from a broad squad at the World Cup, which he used skilfully: When things got stuck at the end of the first half in the final, he brought on the left-hander Elias Scholtes for the tired Uscins. Later, when Lichtlein’s strength waned, it was playmaker Ole Pregler from VfL Gummersbach, who calmly and prudently led the game.
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Almost all of his 16 forces play an important role in Bundesliga clubs. That worked for them in this mammoth tournament with 32 teams and eight games in 14 days. Heuberger had previously distributed game minutes in tight games in the main round against France and Croatia, so that all players could feel like world champions. The DHB officials were happy about a financially and athletically successful dress rehearsal for the 2024 men’s home European Championship.
