The roar that welcomed both teams seemed not to have impressed the German players. Although they took 10 minutes to get into the game, Alfred Gislason’s men then put their foot to the pedal, powered by their defence and an impressive performance by Andreas Wolff.
Switzerland were able to keep up the rhythm in the first half, but their offence proved to be ineffective after the break. They failed to score for 17 minutes while Germany broke away on the scoreboard, getting their first two points in the process.
GROUP A
Germany vs Switzerland 27:14 (13:8)
- the game was played in front of 53,586 spectators, setting a new record for the attendance for a handball game
- the first minutes of the game were tight ones, as both defences took the upper hand on offences. But thanks to Julian Köster netting three, Germany took a four-goal advantage after 15 minutes
- Andreas Wolff proved to be the key asset for the hosts, stopping seven of the first 10 shots he received and an overall eight to lead Germany back to the dressing room leading by five
- after conceding no goals between minutes 37 and 54, Germany increased their advantage throughout the second half, reaching a maximum of 14 goals at the 59th minute
- the Player of the Match, sponsored by Grundfos, was awarded to Wolff, who ended with 13 saves (59 per cent)
- Germany are top of group A with two points, level with France, while Switzerland are bottom of the group with no points
Andreas Wolff aka the German wall
Germany owe a big thanks to their goalkeeper for the two points they took in the opening game. Although Andreas Wolff missed the major part of the season so far due to an injury, he definitely proved that he was back on track tonight.
With seven saves in the first 20 minutes of the game, and 13 overall for a 59 per cent efficiency, the Industria Kielce goalkeeper put the whole German team on the right tracks. He also definitely pleased the Dusseldorf crowd, judging by the roar each of his saves prompted and the way they chanted his name.
Photos © Anze Malorvh & Uros Hocevar/kolektiff
It is easy to make saves when your defence is playing that good, let’s be honest. I know I am one of the leaders of the team, and that I had to show the way. I’m glad I was able to do it, glad that I was able to help the team as well.
There is not much to be said really. We struggled offensively and we lost too many balls and missed too many shots. Germany were definitely the best team tonight, but we made things easy for them too.
