German Team Heartbroken After Overtime Loss to Portugal – Reactions to the Defeat
Germany’s handball team suffered a narrow 30:31 defeat against Portugal in the World Championship quarterfinals after a dramatic overtime battle. With this loss, the tournament has come to an end for head coach Alfred Gislason and his team. Here’s what the key players and coach had to say about the heartbreaking exit:
Head Coach Alfred Gislason
On the match:
“It’s extremely bitter to go out like this after fighting our way into overtime. We had too many missed shots and technical errors in attack, while Andi Wolff was once again rock solid in goal. We lost our two-goal lead in the second half too quickly due to rushed shots, which led to overtime. In the final moment, we weren’t able to get close enough to block the last shot. In the end, we have to admit that Portugal deserved the win.”
On the quarterfinal elimination:
“I don’t see this as a setback—we are learning important lessons. A player like Renars Uscins had to handle the right-back position almost on his own throughout the tournament, and that takes a toll. This World Championship has shown how closely matched the teams are.”
Captain Johannes Golla
On the match:
“The deficit from the first half was simply too big; we weren’t in the game at all for the first 30 minutes. We addressed the issues, made adjustments, and had one foot in the door. But then we made too many easy mistakes, which led to overtime. From experience, we know what can happen there. In the final moment, we weren’t compact enough, and now we stand here as the losing team. But I am certain we will come back stronger.”
Lukas Zerbe
On the match:
“Right now, everyone is extremely disappointed, but you learn the most from defeats. We didn’t start well, but Andi was outstanding again. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capitalize on rebounds—they always seemed to fall the other way. That’s something we need to change in the future. I’m proud of how we fought back and that we even had the game in our hands at one point. We can’t let this bring us down; we need to analyze, learn, and move forward.”
Mandatory Credit © Nebojsa Tejic / kolektiff
