Germany’s handball team passed their first test before the European Championship with impressive composure as they defeated the World Championship runners-up Croatia in Zagreb 32-29 (17:14) after a strong final phase, to boost morale before the tournament opener against Austria in a week's time.
Match Center: Croatia vs. Germany
Captain Golla, playmaker Juri Knorr, and Renars Uscins were Germany’s leading goalscorers on Thursday evening, each netting five goals. The 15,200 fans in the sold-out Zagreb Arena witnessed a tight contest with numerous changes in momentum for the two sides.
In the end, the visitors, who impressed with a solid defense in front of goalkeeper David Späth, kept their cool and, after four straight losses to Croatia, finally celebrated a win. The two sides will meet again on Sunday evening in Hannover for a final rehearsal before the tournament.
“We have to approach these two games against Croatia as if they were part of the European Championship,” Gislason had demanded before the match and his players took the 66-year-old’s words seriouslyearly on. With a solid defense, Germany took a two-goal lead for the first time at 4-2 (7th minute) through Julian Köster, after Golla had scored three goals from three attempts.
The match then developed into an even contest. Späth, who started in goal ahead of Andreas Wolff, made several saves. But as the German attack began to falter with missed shots and technical errors, the hosts took control for the first time after several fast breaks and long-range efforts to make it 11-9 (18th minute).
Chatton Pleased with German Resilience
Gislason’s team weathered this rough patch unscathed and then stepped up their game. Croatia, coached by former Germany boss Dagur Sigurdsson, found no way through the German defense. After trailing 12-14 (22nd minute), the hosts failed to score for the rest of the half while Germany netted five times. Marko Grgic capped off Germany’s best spell so far with a penalty just before the break, giving them their first three-goal lead.
“We can be satisfied with the first half,” said team manager Benjamin Chatton at halftime. At times, he admitted, it felt like “we were losing touch. But we recovered very well and stood our ground with different defensive formations, which I particularly liked.”
However, the visitors were caught napping at the start of the second half as Croatia restored parity at 18-18 (35th minute). But the visitors quickly regained their composure: Playmaker Knorr took charge, scoring twice to inject energy into the backcourt. Grgic and Miro Schluroff were also effective in attack.
Even without Kiel legend Domagoj Duvnjak, who retired from international play after last year’s World Championship, Croatia stayed within reach helped by a strong performance from goalkeeper Dino Slavic. In the closing stages, Gislason’s team showed great mental strength.
At the European Championship, Germany will face Austria (January 15), Serbia (January 17), and Spain (January 19—all at 20:30 CET.) in Group A.