Handball World Cup: Germany Seeks Upset Against Favored Denmark

Germany's Juri Knorr and Johannes Golla discuss the challenges of facing Denmark in the Handball World Cup, acknowledging the need for a near-perfect game to compete with the favored Danes.

German handball star Juri Knorr says the players in the German national team were taught a valuable lesson in the Olympic handball final, which he hopes they will benefit from when the two nations face each other again on Tuesday evening in Herning in the main round of the World Cup. Denmark ran riot in a 39-26 win against the Germans in the Olympic final, and Alfred Gislason's men know they have to come up with a truly special performance to have a chance against the much-favored Danes.

“It is the best team in the world and one of the best teams ever. They have the best players in the world, the best goalkeepers, and Simon Pytlick is well on his way to matching Mathias Gidsel. They have also won everything worth winning in international handball,” Knorr acknowledged. Despite the daunting task ahead, Knorr expressed his team's desire to improve upon their previous performance against Denmark.

“We have a lot of respect for Denmark and know that it will be a tough match. And of course we want to do better than in the Olympic final,” Knorr said to TV 2 Sport. He also emphasized the importance of managing expectations and enjoying the game. “We know that Denmark are favourites, and the pressure is on them. We don't have to win the game. We have to enjoy it and then we might have a small chance. But let's see,” Knorr added.

German key player Johannes Golla also anticipates a challenging encounter against Denmark. “We know that we have to play an almost perfect game in order to keep up with Denmark, but we are really looking forward to playing at the highest level in a good atmosphere,” Golla said. He acknowledges the enormity of the task but is eager to compete against one of the world's top teams.

For Golla and the German team, the match against Denmark is undoubtedly the highlight of the intermediate round. “The arena will be packed to the brim, and we are really looking forward to the match. The atmosphere will be fantastic, and we are looking forward to being part of it and trying to make life miserable for the Danish players,” Golla added, emphasizing the team's excitement and determination to put up a strong fight.