The Merzig Cup, the traditional friendly international tournament for youth teams organised in Germany, was back in full fledge at the end of the year, with eight teams fighting for the coveted trophy.

After a three-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 34th edition of the competition was won by Germany, who secured the trophy with a dramatic win on penalties against Iceland, which saw the hosts confirm their excellent form.

The eight teams were divided into two groups of four, with Germany being drawn in Group B alongside the Netherlands, Austria and North Macedonia – who made their first appearance in the competition.

In Group A, Iceland, Switzerland and Egypt joined a regional selection of Saarland, the tournament hosts, as Iceland and Egypt progressed to the semi-finals, while in Group B, Germany and North Macedonia were the teams that went through.

Germany were the big favourites, never dropping a point until the semi-finals, and they duly delivered another excellent outing in the semi-final, where their defence overwhelmed Egypt and helped them take a 22:17 win.

In the other semi-final, Iceland confirmed their outstanding form, taking a 30:26 win over North Macedonia, who finished fourth due to their 21:25 loss in the bronze medal match against Egypt.

Both Germany and Iceland entered the big final on a four-match winning streak and the match was hugely entertaining, with the lead changing hands several times.

Despite leading 26:23 with four minutes left on the clock, Germany failed to score any goal in the last seconds, enabling Iceland to tie the match with a 3:0 run.

Eventually, the match went to penalties, in which Germany converted two penalties while Iceland missed their two shots as goalkeeper Frederik Höler was immense between the posts.

With a 28:26 win, Germany sealed the Merzig Cup for the third time in a row and looked ready for the next months when they will try to grow even more.

"I am very satisfied with the way the tournament went. In the exciting final phase, when we lost a two-goal lead, we didn't let our heads down. The boys enjoyed a great atmosphere," said Germany's coach, Emir Kurtagic, who took over the team this summer.

The U19 Germany team, the bronze medallist at the M18 EHF EURO 2022 this summer, are preparing for the 2023 IHF Men's World Championship, which will take place in Croatia from 2 to 13 August 2023.

Photo: René Weiss/DHB