Germany celebrate Paris 2024 ticket in style with big win over Paraguay

After two important wins against Slovenia and Montenegro, which sealed the first place in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3 for hosts Germany, the European side made it three out of three with a clear win over Paraguay, 37:20.

Olympic Qualification Tournament #3
Paraguay vs Germany 20:37 (13:19)

With the ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games already sealed, Germany treated their fans in Neu-Ulm with yet another dominating performance, sealing their largest win in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3, this time against Paraguay, despite coach Markus Gaugisch resting some of his key players.

Gaugisch had already replaced the hummel Player of the Match against Slovenia and Montenegro, goalkeeper Katharina Filter, with Sarah Wachter for this match, while captain Emily Bölk and backs Julia Maidhof and Xenia Smits did not feature as prominently as in the previous two matches.

This enabled Paraguay to stay close in the opening minutes of the match, when they scored six times in eight minutes, keeping Germany in check, with a 6:6 scoreline, after some exquisite lob shots from Fernanda Insfran, which had no answer from diminutive goalkeeper Dinah Eckerle.

But a more experienced Germany side knew exactly what to do to keep Paraguay guessing and in the next five minutes they went on a 5:0 unanswered run, with three goals scored by right wing Jenny Behrend, a run which was the backbone for their clear lead at the break, 19:13.

Gaugisch continued to tinker with his line-up in the second part of the match, but apart from Fernanda Insfran Mora, who finished the match with eight goals for Paraguay, the South American side’s attack did not provide the much-needed cover to keep the gap under wraps.

Germany’s 90% shooting efficiency after 40 minutes was the main reason they were clearly in control of the match, as Behrend and right back Maren Weigel had combined for 10 goals until that point, when the gap ballooned to 12 goals, 27:15.
As 13 of Germany’s 14 outfield players scored at least one goal, and right back Julia Maidhof became the first player in these Olympic Qualification Tournaments to score 20 goals, the European side improved the gap to 20 goals until the final whistle, taking a commanding 37:20 win, handing Paraguay back-to-back losses in double digits.

With three wins in as many matches, including two key ones against European counterparts Slovenia and Montenegro, Germany secured the first place in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3, which will see them head to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, their first appearance in the competition since Beijing 2008 and only their fifth appearance in history.

Paraguay did start the competition well, with only a five-goal loss against Montenegro, but it all went downhill from that moment, conceding big losses against Slovenia and Germany, and finished last, but this will seriously serve as a learning experience for a side making their debut in the Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

hummel Player of the Match: Sarah Wachter (Germany)