As of: March 15, 2024, 5:01 a.m
By: Patrick Mayer
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The DHB team starts the Olympic qualifying tournament with a win.
But not everything is going smoothly against Algeria.
The game in the ticker for reading.
Handball: Germany - Algeria 41:29 (16:13)
Qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics: DHB team struggles against outsiders.
The game in the ticker for reading.
Conclusion:
The German national handball team can still hope to take part in the 2024 Olympics in Paris (July 26th to August 11th).
On Thursday evening, the DHB team won the start of the qualifying tournament 41:29 (16:13) against the clear outsiders Algeria.
National coach Alfred Gislason's team had a very difficult time against the runners-up in the African Championship in the first half.
It wasn't until the middle of the second half that the German handball players were able to pull away decisively.
The best German throwers were Lenars Uscins (10 goals), Johannes Golla (7) and Julian Köster (5) in front of 10,099 spectators in Hanover.
On Saturday, Germany has to play against Croatia (2:30 p.m.), on Sunday they play against Austria (2:10 p.m.).
The first and second place in the four-way tournament qualify for the Summer Games in the French capital.
Germany - Algeria 41:29 (16:13)
DHB team: |
Wolff (10 saves), Späth (1 save); Uscins 10, Golla 7, Köster 5, Mertens 4, Semper 3, Zerbe 3/1, Kastening 2, Dahmke 2, Knorr 2, Heymann 1, Lichtlein 1, Kohlbacher, Michalczik |
Penalty minutes: |
4/6 |
Spectators in Hanover: |
10,099 |
Qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics: DHB team struggles against outsiders
Demanded: playmaker Juri Knorr (Wed.) and Germany against Algeria.
© IMAGO/Steinbrenner
60th minute: The game is over! The German national handball team defeated Algeria 41:29 at the start, but will have to improve significantly in the Olympic qualifying tournament in the coming days.
59th minute: Germany completes the 40.
The hall celebrates enthusiastically, but the defense is worried after conceding 28 goals.
56th minute: 36:26 - the ten-goal lead is restored.
Golla is successful in the follow-up from the district.
The captain is there when needed.
55th minute: Goals on both sides.
The DHB team appears callous at the front, but is too vulnerable at the back in defense.
Too often the Algerians can break through and score easy goals.
53rd minute: This is also true: Germany has already conceded 24 goals.
With respect, that's actually too much against this opponent.
This should definitely be included in the video analysis of the game afterwards.
50th minute: Attack after attack lands in the Algerian goal.
The German national handball team finally ignites the turbo in the final phase.
This makes it really clear.
48th minute: The DHB team plays the next attack on the circle with a lot of overview.
Magdeburg's Mertens scored from the left winger with a jump shot to make it 29:21.
The offensive game is now much more consistent.
45th minute: Now it's clear!
Counterattack for the German team.
Heymann passes through to the circle for DHB captain Golla, who coolly scores his sixth goal.
3-0 series at 27:19.
42nd minute: The German team scored their last four attempts - very well!
Backcourt shooter Köster in particular is accurate.
24:19.
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: DHB defense has too little access
39th minute: Algeria keeper Ghedbane has a catch rate of 40 percent.
The outsider simply cannot be shaken off.
Because the goalkeeper is in a good mood and because the German defense doesn't have enough access.
37th minute: Important!
Wolff stays cool one-on-one and saves.
Mertens takes the counterattack and the DHB team pulls away again to four goals (20:16).
34th minute: Germany can't get the inside block.
And Algeria reduced the lead to 15:17 with a double strike.
That's still not enough.
Algeria now scores the easy goals.
32nd minute: The playmaker goes first.
Knorr goes through the Algerian defense center and scores to make it 17:13.
It is an important phase now.
Can the DHB team break away?
31st minute: The Olympic qualifying game continues!
German backcourt shooter: Julian Köster (Wed.) from VfL Gummersbach.
© IMAGO/René Vigneron
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: DHB team has problems at the break
30th minute: Break in Hanover! The DHB team goes into the dressing room with a narrow lead
30th minute: My dear!
3-0 series for the Algerians shortly before the break.
Germany's scoring rate dropped significantly from the middle of the first half.
That's still a bit small.
The clear outsider can shorten the score to 13:16.
26th minute: This time Uscins fails.
But: The 21-year-old backcourt shooter already has six goals.
But Germany is still missing too many chances, which is why the game still remains open.
23rd minute: Incredible save from Wolff in a one-on-one!
But the fifth German attack in a row brings nothing in return.
Golla takes responsibility at the circle and scores the 14:9 with his second goal.
21st minute: Defense in the circle.
But Zerbe misses the seven-meter penalty.
The hit rate of the German handball players could be a little better now.
The Algerians shorten the score to 9:13.
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: Uscins sets the pace in the attack
18th minute: Local hero Uscins scores his fourth goal.
The U21 world champion sets the pace in attack.
Germany leads comfortably 13:7.
15th minute: The Algerians give the ball away in the circle.
Fast switching game by the German team.
Mertens sprints towards the opponent's goal and stands in the air for a long time as he jumps - and the ball is in there!
11:6!
Uncompromising: the German handball defense against Algeria.
© IMAGO/Steinbrenner
13th minute: Mertens with a jump shot from the left to make it 10:6.
The German handball players seem very consistent in their finishing.
That's a good thing.
10th minute: Powerful throw from Uscins and it's 9:5 for Germany.
The U21 world champion, who plays for Hannover-Burgdorf in the Bundesliga, is in really good spirits in front of his home crowd.
8th minute: Wolff's third save!
The boy is strong!
But Golla doesn't put the fast counterattack into the box.
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: Andreas Wolff is doing well in the game
6th minute: Wolff with the next save.
The hall is buzzing with excitement.
Germany's world-class goalkeeper is really good at the game.
6:4 from a German perspective.
5th minute: Lively scoring goals right from the start.
After four and a half minutes and a goal from backcourt shooter Köster, the score is already 5:3.
3rd minute: Fast counterattack.
Knorr sends Zerbe on his way, who finishes cool.
3:2 for Germany.
1st minute: And things get off to a great start.
Uscins fuels himself at the circle and marks the 1-0.
On the other side, Wolff shines with a save.
1st minute: Let's start with the Olympic qualifying tournament in Hanover!
Update from March 14th, 5:35 p.m
.: National coach Alfred Gislason still has a lot of plans for the DFB team in the future.
When his contract was extended in March, the Icelander said: “I am very pleased about the trust and the opportunity to accompany our national team on their way to 2027.
The team has enormous potential to make extreme progress in the next tournaments.
In the coming days we will first subordinate everything to a successful Olympic qualification tournament.” Germany will host the World Cup at the beginning of 2027.
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: Wolff, Knorr, Golla - everyone there
Update from March 14th, 5:20 p.m
.: The German handball squad for the Olympic qualifying tournament again includes well-known names and, above all, players who played for Germany at the European Championships in January.
For example, there is the congenial goalkeeping team made up of veteran Andreas Wolff (33 years old, Industria Kielce) and youngster David Späth (21, Rhein-Neckar Löwen).
The playmaker is the highly talented Juri Knorr (23, Rhein-Neckar Löwen), the inner block is formed by backcourt shooter Julian Köster (23, VfL Gummersbach) as well as pivot and captain Johannes Golla (26, SG Flensburg-Handewitt).
Support in the DHB team: goalkeeper Andreas Wolff.
© IMAGO / kolbert-press
Update from March 14th, 5:05 p.m
.: World champion Denmark, European champion France, European Championship third-placed Sweden, African champion Egypt, South American champion Argentina and Asian champion Japan have already qualified for the Summer Games in Paris.
The remaining six Olympic tickets (two each) will now be awarded in the three qualifying tournaments.
The following compete against each other:
Qualifying tournament 1 |
Qualifying tournament 2 |
Qualifying tournament 3 |
in Granollers (Spain) |
in Hannover |
in Tatabanya (Hungary) |
Spain |
Germany |
Norway |
Slovenia |
Croatia |
Hungary |
Brazil |
Algeria |
Portugal |
Bahrain |
Austria |
Tunisia |
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: Tough group for the DHB team
Update from March 14th, 4:45 p.m
.: Despite home rights, the Olympic qualifying tournament will be anything but a sure-fire success for the DHB team, which took a good fourth place at the home European Championships in 2024.
But the truth is that Germany only won four of its nine games at the European Championships and got this far mainly thanks to their group division.
In the intermediate round there was a 22:22 draw against the surprise team from Austria (8th place), while the German handball players even lost halfway against the eleventh-placed Croatians (24:30) after previously qualifying for the semi-finals.
Ergo: The tension is almost tangible.
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: Olympic qualifying tournament in Hanover
First report from March 14th:
Hanover - There is a lot at stake, a lot for the German handball players.
The 2024 Olympics in Paris is the big goal of the DHB team, which will complete its qualifying tournament for the Summer Games in the ZAG arena in Hanover between March 14th and 17th.
Germany will face Algeria this Thursday (from 5:45 p.m.), on Saturday it will face the top nation Croatia (2:30 p.m.), before a neighborhood duel with Austria in Lower Saxony on Sunday (2:10 p.m.).
National coach plays for job: If he fails, Alfred Gislason has to leave
Just in time for the qualifying tournament in Hanover, the German Handball Association (DHB) extended the contract with national coach Alfred Gislason until the end of February 2027 - i.e. until after the home World Cup.
The Icelander, who previously celebrated great successes with THW Kiel, has been in office since March 2020.
But: As
Bild
reports, he has to qualify for the Olympics, otherwise his contract will end this year.
National coach since March 2020: Icelandic Alfred Gislason.
© IMAGO/Laci Perenyi
There are a total of three qualifying tournaments in which four national teams compete and two tickets for the Summer Olympic Games in the French metropolis on the Seine are awarded.
This means: First and second place qualify at the end.
Germany against Algeria in the live ticker: DHB team wants to go to the 2024 Olympics
And the DHB team's program has it all.
Algeria only finished 31st and second to last at the 2023 Handball World Cup.
But at the 2024 African Championships, the Algerian national team made it to the final and ultimately came second behind hosts Egypt (21:29), who have already qualified for the 2024 Olympics by winning the final.
Who will follow at the qualifying tournament in Hanover?
Follow the Olympic qualifying game between the German handball players and Algeria here in the live ticker from 5:45
p.m.
(pm)