Handball World Cup 2021: DHB women eliminated in the quarter

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Marlene Kalf with bowed head, while in the background the Spaniards celebrate their entry into the semi-finals

Photo: Joan Monfort / AP

Flight home instead of semi-finals: The dream of the first World Cup medal in 14 years has burst for Germany's handball players.

The DHB selection lost in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against the hosts from Spain 21:26 (10:14).

The best thrower for the team of national coach Henk Groener was in Granoller's backcourt player Julia Maidhof with six goals in front of 2000 spectators.

After the weak performance in the hefty 16:32 bankruptcy against Denmark at the end of the main round, the German team was greeted by whistles from the Spanish fans when they entered the hall.

The DHB selection was initially not impressed by this, began with strong defensive work and led against nervous-looking Spaniards after four minutes with 4: 0.

Even after a foul by Xenia Smits in the 11th minute, for which she received a two-minute penalty, Germany remained sovereign and outnumbered without conceding.

But then Germany began to wobble, national coach Henk Groener took his team aside during a break (18th minute), complained that the balls were given too easily.

The German handball players gave the game more and more out of their hands.

The break started at 11:14.

Towering over Barbosa

After that, Germany was more combative, but fell behind again and again, not least due to the strongest Spaniard Alexandrina Cabral Barbosa. Campos Costa countered a seven-meter throw that was safely converted by Julia Meidhof and made it 12:17 (35th). National coach Groener tried increasingly to put the Spaniards under pressure with seven field players, which succeeded: After strong saves by substitute goalkeeper Katharina Filter (37th, 39th), Julia Meidhof converted her fourth seven-meter to 16:19 in the 43rd minute.

Despite great parades by Filter, who became European champion with the beach handball players, Spain cleverly played it to the end, took out the next seven meters in the 56th and could not be overtaken with a four-goal lead.

At their home World Cup, the Spaniards are now in the semi-finals on Friday against the winner of the game Norway against Russia.

see / dpa