In the first part of the dress rehearsal for the Home World Championships at the beginning of December, the German handball players also won a weak replacement. The team of national coach Michael Biegler, who dropped eight players at once, won in Bratislava against host Slovakia with 23:22 (16:13).
The last match of the World Cup preparation will be played by the German Handball Federation (DHB) against Iceland on Saturday at 5 pm in Dresden.
The German team took the lead for the first time in the sixth minute at 4:3 and did not give up the lead until the end. However, Biegler’s charges did it despite a 21:17 intermediate standings in the 47th minute. One more minute exciting.
However, the hosts were no longer satisfied with more than 22:23 in the final minute. Emily Bölk (Buxtehuder SV) with five goals and Alexandra Mazzucco (Thuringia HC) with four goals were the best German throwers.
“These were two very different halves. In the first attack was very good, in the second the defence has stabilized. But we weren’t as dynamic at the beginning,”said DHB sports director Wolfgang Sommerfeld and announced:” We will work on these deficits next week in Leipzig.
On Friday evening in the Slovakian capital, captain Anna Loerper (muscular fibre tear in the calf) and backroom player Xenia Smits (finger fracture) were not present. Next Thursday, Biegler will have to name his 16-strong World Cup team. Until then, the weakened players are to be spared and no further risk of injury is to be taken.
Germany will face Cameroon in the preliminary round (1. December), South Korea (3rd), Serbia (5th), China (6th) and Vice World Champion Netherlands (8th). The best four teams in group D will reach the round of sixteen.