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Julian Köster in the main round match against the Netherlands
Photo: IMAGO/Mateusz Birecki
Germany has also won its second World Cup main round game and is already a quarter-finalist after beating the Netherlands 33:26 (15:12).
The best pitcher in Katowice was Juri Knorr with nine goals.
In the last main round game on Monday against Norway (8.30 p.m.), the DHB selection is about winning the group.
The Netherlands had only participated in a handball World Cup once before: that was in 1961, including a 7:33 win against Germany.
In the second participation »Oranje« caused a stir, there have been three wins and one narrow defeat against the Norwegians in this tournament so far.
In the main round game against the DHB selection, the Dutch showed their strengths right from the start: They kept opening up fast finishing opportunities with great speed, which were often initiated by PSG star Luc Steins and completed by Kay Smits from German champions SC Magdeburg.
Wolff towers over the German goal
Alfred Gíslason's team was only able to take the lead for the first time in the 12th minute: Knorr converted a seven-metre throw to make it 5-4, after goalkeeper Andreas Wolff had saved a penalty throw on the other end.
Wolff was a crucial factor early on in the game, repelling seven of his opponents' first 17 attempts and laying the foundation for his team's first three-goal lead in the 27th minute.
At half time Germany led 15:12.
The second half began hectically and after a few goalless minutes tipped in favor of the Germans: twice Patrick Groetzki, Julian Köster and Knorr with his goals number seven and eight that evening increased with a five-goal run to 20:12.
The physically inferior Dutch, who only got into the field of World Cup participants through a wildcard, hardly achieved anything offensively in this phase.
With the clear interim result, there was still time for some magic: Christoph Steinert served Philipp Weber with a Kempa trick and the player from Leipzig completed the game to make it 26:17 (49th minute).
Gíslason used the depth of his squad in the last ten minutes of play without jeopardizing the clear result.
After 60 minutes it was 33:26.
mfu
