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The day after the painful defeat, the entourage of German handball players had to move.

From Giza, the venue for the preliminary round, they went to the new team quarters “St.

Regis Almasa Hotel “in the east of Cairo.

The national coach Alfred Gislason and his players brought with them the processing of the last group encounter, which was lost to Hungary by 28:29 (14:15) and the situation before the start of the main World Cup in Egypt worsened considerably.

Because it was not only the first defeat under the new coach, but one with a lot of echo.

Due to the bankruptcy, which Hungary's playmaker Mate Lekai had sealed with the last throw on goal and the hit at 28:29, the German selection moved into the next tournament phase with 2: 2 points as group runner-up and now gets it right at the beginning with one the title favorites to do: European champions Spain will be the first opponents of the main round on Thursday (8.30 p.m., ZDF).

Gislason calls for improvement

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“We have to do a lot better if we want to win the game.

We need an optimal day to beat Spain, ”demanded Gislason before the duel, which has almost something of a knockout character for the national team.

Another bankruptcy would make the minimum goal of the quarter-finals almost impossible.

The other rivals Brazil on Saturday (8.30 p.m., ZDF) and Poland on Monday (8.30 p.m., ARD) are not walk-in customers either.

His team is still very focused, Gislason reported on Wednesday afternoon after arriving at the new luxury hostel.

“It's normal to feel down after a loss.

But the mood is good. ”And his assistant coach Erik Wudtke assisted:“ The objective remains unchanged, we want to win the next three games and reach the quarter-finals. ”

Patrick Groetzki also felt more joy than fear of competing with the Iberians.

The 31-year-old right winger from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen had only arrived before the Hungary game, slipped into the squad for Tobias Reichmann, who was injured on the meniscus, and had at least one personal sense of achievement: he scored at 28:28.

Teammates support Gensheimer

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Groetzki quickly ticked off the fact that it wasn't enough for a draw in the end and was already looking at the upcoming opponent: “I always think it's great to play against top teams.

I think we have a good chance of beating Spain, ”he said.

"They also have a few problems in this tournament."

A judgment that also applies to Groetzki's teammate and club mate Uwe Gensheimer.

The captain of the German selection has mutated from indispensable to substitute player in the global title fights.

Against Hungary he sat on the bench for more than half the time, instead Marcel Schiller played and knew how to impress with seven goals as the Germans' most accurate shooter.

National coach Alfred Gislason takes his team into duty

Source: dpa / Sascha Klahn

Groetzki denied that he now had to morally build up his buddy Gensheimer.

"He has so much experience and self-confidence, there is no doubt," said the successor.

“Of course, he has the right to play every game from the start because he is one of the best left wingers.

But he is still the mouthpiece in the cabin.

And when he's on the field, he'll perform well. "

Gensheimer so far without a title

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This is exactly what “Uns Uwe” of German handball, who has scored 927 goals in 192 international matches, has been moderately successful recently.

Already in the opening game against the second-class Uruguayans, Gensheimer missed out on the best throwing opportunities and won a ruff from Gislason.

Following the Hungary game, to which he contributed a goal after being substituted on, the captain said: “What a shame.

We could have cracked it.

That pulls the ground away from under your feet.

But nothing is lost yet, we will go into the main round at full throttle. "

The 34-year-old now has to quickly find the right grip again.

Otherwise he will leave Egypt like all of his international tournaments played so far: without a title and without a happy ending.