the dutch won a great match but fell behind the e

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Wester’s defenses in his hair ensured the Dutch victory (Photo: Kolektiff images)

In the Kolding group, which also featured the Hungarian national team, the stakes were high for both the Germans and the Dutch: reaching the semi-finals. The Orange Fields could only outlive their chances of winning, but it didn’t matter how much they did.

Henk Groener, who led the Germans in 2009 and 2016, was a Dutch captain, unsurprisingly, he also plays a lot of dizzying and fast-paced handball with the Germans, so bands of a similar style really collided.

On the Dutch side, Lois Abbingh showed her true face again, despite her mistakes, she was the true leader of her team. The shooter and Franca City Angela Malestein scored the majority of their goals in the first half. The Dutch were able to tie on two hits for the first time, but after Groener’s timeout, the German team took an 11-7 lead from a 7-5 deficit.

Dinah Eckerle, who left Siófok, presented several important defenses, but there was no complaint against Tess Westerr on the other side. The Dutch did not allow themselves to be destroyed further and managed to reduce their handicaps for half-time (14-15).

In the second half of the match, the trend continued, the Germans left with a goal or two, but then the Dutch response came, but it was questionable how much energy constant attachment consumes. The Dutch could have taken the lead several times, but at that point they made a mistake for a long time or Eckerle fought back.

The nerves were tense to the point of the shins, there was a great fight on the field for every ball and goal, both sides mobilizing a lot of energy. The turn came in the 55th minute, with Malestein catching the ball on equal terms and spinning from the middle towards the empty German goal as he fought for another show for the already disadvantaged opponent.

The Germans could have come back from a two-goal deficit, but Wester also caught two bets at the end, winning the match for his team (28-27). At the same time, the Dutch will certainly not be able to advance to the semi-finals as they would only have one shot at a triple draw, but their goal difference would be -1 in the loss against the Croats, while the Croats are at +2 and the Germans with -1. , but the last two teams will still meet in the final round on Tuesday. If the Dutch couldn’t beat the Romanians in the previous match, the Germans would have enough of any victory for second place, and if the Dutch did, they would need a two-goal difference to overtake the Croats.

The Norwegians, seven times European champions, have already secured their advancement and first place.

EUROPEAN HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, DENMARK
MIDDLE FINAL
GROUP 2 (KOLDING)
Netherlands-Germany 28-27 (14-15)
Ld: Abbingh 8, Malestein 6, ill. Behnke, Naidzinavicius 4-4

In the other group game on Monday
Hungary – Romania 26–24 (13-14)