Germany’s captain, Alina Grijseels, had a flawless match against Japan in the opener of the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, but Germany needed a last-gasp goal from Xenia Smits to take a 31:30 win, with the back scoring with two seconds to go.

GROUP G
Germany vs Japan 31:30 (18:17)

Prior to the start of the match, Germany’s coach, Markus Gaugisch, threw some caution in the wind, stating that a start against Japan might not be ideal, especially as the Asian team was well-rested, adding more impetus to their physical style of handball, with a lot of pace and a lot of running to compensate for the lack of height.

Japan were coming after some excellent results in the friendly matches prior to the start of the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, including wins against Spain and Serbia and their motivation was there to be seen in the first six minutes of their debut at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, when they took an incredible 6:3 lead, leaving Germany running for answers.

Those answers came soon, as Markus Gaugisch stayed calm on the sidelines and tweaked some things in the attack, and soon goals started to come for the European side, which used a 5:1 run to take their first lead of the match, 10:8, after only 13 minutes, in spite of their goalkeepers failing to bring the needed goods in the match.

But with captain Alina Grijseels in fine form, Germany were sure that their experience was going to be decisive in the match and this is exactly what happened, irrespective of how many times Japan tried to bounce back. The Asian side did tie the match, multiple times, but the after the 32nd minute, when the score was 18:18, it was only Germany.

As Grijseels had seven goals out of seven shots after 42 minutes and four more assists under her name until that point, Germany used a 3:0 unanswered run to open a gap, 21:18, which proved to be unassailable, as Japan’s style did not produce the needed goods for a comeback, despite the Asian side doing the best they could to seal at least one point from this match.

Japan also missed two penalties, which hampered their chances to attempt a comeback, as Germany stood tall, protecting their four-goal lead throughout the match, with Antje Döll and Annika Lott adding four goals each, while Katharina Filter made some important saves in crucial moments.

But Japan used a 4:0 unanswered run to tie the match, 30:30, with 15 seconds to go, as back Natsuki Aizawa, the hummel Player of the Match, scored 10 goals, including three in that run, but Germany eventually sealed a 31:30 win, courtesy of a last-gasp goal from back Xenia Smits, with the experienced back putting a strong shot past Sakura Hauge when there were only two seconds left on the clock.

Germany threw off the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship in style and now have two points, as they will be able to virtually seal their main round berth in the next match, scheduled for Saturday, when they take on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Japan are due to face Poland in the next round, in a match which could possibly become pivotal for the Asian side, as they will try to make it to the main round with points.

hummel Player of the Match: Natsuki Aizawa (Japan)