Women's handball championship: DHB team collects historic bankruptcy

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Stine Bredal Oftedal from Norway and DHB player Julia Maidhof

Photo: PETTER ARVIDSON / imago images / Bildbyran

The German handball players suffered a heavy defeat in their second game at the European Championship in Denmark.

The team of the national coach Henk Groener, who arrived late, was defeated by tournament favorites and record European champions Norway 23:42 (14:22) - a German women's team has never lost so much in a European Championship finals.

Germany still has entry into the main round in their own hands.

With a win or a draw against outsider Poland on Monday (6.15 p.m.; stream: sportdeutschland.tv), the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) will certainly qualify for the next tournament phase.

The DHB women won their opening game on Thursday in the absence of Groener against European Championship fourth Romania (22:19).

Emily Bölk and Xenia Smits were now the best German throwers with four hits each in Kolding, where the Poles had previously been defeated by Romania despite a good start (24:28).

"We had a different plan, but Norway was the better team, you can see that in the result," said Bölk, who was not satisfied with the defensive performance: "You can lose against Norway, but not in this way.

It wasn't our best day.

But we'll get up again. "

"Play sensible things in attack!"

Coach Groener experienced the first game in the course of the European Championship on the sidelines.

The 60-year-old tested negative for the first time after his corona infection on Wednesday and traveled to Denmark.

After another negative test result after his arrival in Kolding, he was allowed to join the team.

What he experienced on the pitch must have displeased him.

The team found no remedy against the speed and individual class of the Norwegians, where world-class player Stine Bredal Oftedal drove and Nora Mørk could hardly be stopped.

You alone get twelve hits.

"Play sensible things in attack!" Demanded Groener in a break in the second half.

But it didn't get any better afterwards either.

The European Championship semi-final is the goal of the German team.

But for this it will have to increase significantly.

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mon / dpa / sid