TOhen a great match ended, two scenes stood out. On one side was the one who cried John Golla. She wiped a few tears from the corners of her eyes and, when that wasn't enough, she covered her face with the T-shirt and used it as a towel before going to the television interview. The captain of the German handball team is really calm, always emotionally balanced, polite and controlled in his reactions. This time was different.

Minutes earlier, a wild Golla had been seen violently attacking the Dane Niclas Kirkelökke because he had committed a strong foul on Julian Köster. Seconds later, when the shock had dissipated, Golla apologized to Kirkelökke and the entire bench.

It was no ordinary game.

It was supposed to be the German semi-final, the big surprise victory over the world champions. And so was the selection of the German Handball Association (DHB) not far away with this one 26:29 (14:12) Friday night at the Cologne Arena against Denmark. Golla had once again given his all on defense throughout the game, fighting his way into the red zone, so his palpable disappointment was understandable. And also the tears.

Bad feeling among the Germans

In fact, such an honorable defeat against the favorites could have been bravely accepted by the German team, citing their youth and lack of experience; The latter, for example, was presented by Danish coach Nicolaj Jacobsen, talking about a tough match between two strong teams: “We have reached seven semi-finals in my time, we know those situations.”

But since it was tight until the last minute Jannik Kohlbacher Although the score was 26:28 in the 59th minute and you never know what would have happened if Denmark had lost the ball in the next attack, the Germans still had the feeling that they had really missed a great opportunity.

And here you finish with scene two. Yuri Knorr In the 45th minute he sat on the bench and did not return. Like everyone else, he had an excellent first half and the German defense played brilliantly against the Danish defense players Mathias Gidsel and Simon Pytlick.

Two goals ahead at half-time were not enough for such a performance, for the goalkeeper once again Andreas Wolff The foundation had been laid and the stadium was finally back to being as loud as it had always been claimed to be. But at the decisive moment, at the moment when the match was decided, this German team could do nothing in a European Championship semi-final without Knorr, but with Philipp Weber at the venue.

You could see how the national selectors Alfredo Gislason Once, ten minutes before the end, he spoke to Knorr, but apparently he was not ready to be used again. Later, Knorr said in the interview area: “I said myself that I needed a break. But now I am incredibly disappointed. I would have liked not to abandon a game like that because I said so. In a game like this I have to hold on because I am full of emotions because I can't take it anymore.”

Knorr seemed sad, defeated and lost as he provided insight into his inner self: “I blame myself a lot for not fighting until I fell in the second half, for not throwing myself into every duel and for taking more risks.” a harsh self-accusation from a 23-year-old young man.

It had a kernel of truth. In order to have the necessary exceptional evening, the national team not only needed Wolff and Golla in top form, but also Knorr and Julian Köster. Knorr and those around him, including a mental coach, will continue to deal with this mysterious mental block in the biggest game of his life so far, hopefully.

National coach Gislason later highlighted how well his team had done so far. Kai Haefner and Timo Kastening had to do without him; Häfner traveled home with his wife and his baby without giving any further reasons: Kastening was suffering from an infection. Renars Uscins came in for Häfner, who scored five goals in eight attempts and was the pleasant surprise of the night. Sebastian Heymann also made amends in attack.

“Our inexperienced people played phenomenally,” Gislason said, “we lost in the little things.” We dropped seven meters, missed passes, wasted chances on the counterattack, and then came the change of goalkeeper of the Danes, from the weak Niklas Landin to the strong Emil Nielsen, as well as a 7:6 match in which the Danes never saw any threat. his goal empty because Mikkel Hansen played the superiority attacks with confidence. “7:6 was our turning point,” said coach Jacobsen about the reason the match went in favor of the Danes. Gislason's job will be to teach his people this unsightly but effective power play.

The Swedes, equally disappointed after their dramatic defeat against France in the first semi-final (30:34), will now play on Sunday (15:00). FAZ live ticker for the European Handball Championship, in ARD and in Dyn) continue with the game for third place. If they win, the Germans will qualify directly for the Olympic Games, a worthwhile goal. Even if Golla and Knorr still felt completely different on that thunderous Friday night.