In the first game of Group E, Germany and the Czech Republic had an intense start after which the Germans quickly took control of the game. 

The team of coach Henk Groeners underlined their development with a strong offensive performance, outscoring the Czech Republic over the course of the game. 

GROUP E
Germany vs Czech Republic 31:21 (17:10)

Both teams opened the game with a 7m shot each so that the score was even after two minutes. The first half continued to be a close game in the beginning, dominated on both sides by the defensive lines. 

Julia Maidhof remained focused from the penalty line to bring the Germans up by two, leading 6:4 after 12 minutes. Germany now took more and more control of the game; defending strongly on one end and even finishing difficult shots on the other – and it was time for Czech Republic coach Jan Basny to call for a time-out. 

The Czechs tried different variations to stop the game flow of Germany, but the lead continued to be with Henk Groener’s squad. After several successful offensive actions, in which the German team outplayed their Czech opponent with speed, the lead grew to 14:7. At half-time, Germany held a comfortable 17:10 lead. 

After the break, Germany remained focused on their strength: quick hands defensively, two passes and – another goal. Alicia Stolle and Alina Grijseels moved the score up to double digits for Germany (22:12) underlining a strong team performance. 

For the Czech Republic, Dominika Zachova was strong scoring-wise and helped cut the scoreline to 18:25 in minute 48. Germany, however, had an answer for that and brought their first win of the 25th IHF Women’s Handball World Championship home. In the end, the opening game ended 31:21 in favour of Germany who set the bar high with this performance. 

Germany will play Slovakia next on Saturday 4 December 2021 at 18:00 CET, while the Czech Republic will match up with Hungary later that evening at 20:30 CET. 

hummel Player of the Match: Alina Grijseels, Germany 

Photo: RFEBM / J. Navarro