“It was completely crazy, something that you can’t even imagine when someone talks to you about it,” said Häfner right after the game.
But since then, there has been a lot of water under the bridge, and Germany are about to play a decisive game against Croatia on Wednesday night. If the EHF EURO 2024 hosts win, they will make it to the semi-finals for the first time since their title in 2016.
Between these two moments, the left-hander, who plays for Stuttgart on a daily basis, also became dad to a little boy named Matti.
Häfner made a quick trip to the hospital to be present while his wife was giving birth, missing the game against North Macedonia along the way, before coming back to his team for the first main round game against Iceland.
“So much things have happened in such a short while, there was a lot of adrenalin involved. I have to thank my wife for being so amazing and for giving me the permission to go again,” he said after the game.
The tiredness of those days might still be present but it does not show, as Kai Häfner has been one of the most-used German players by coach Alfred Gislason.
“He is playing a very good tournament, he gives us a lot of calm thanks to his experience,” says Johannes Golla, the German team captain.
“Against Hungary, he played very well and he was able to give us tactical solutions on the court. Players like myself, on the line player position, benefit a lot from his tactical knowledge, he is always able to give us some help. He really handles well the pressure and yesterday he was really able to help us.”
