When asked if her style of play didn't hurt every attack, Alina Grijseels replied with a laugh: "I just like fighting my way through.

It's because of my style of play that there's often a bang.” The German playmaker is marked by painful collisions after all appearances at this European championship in women's handball - red welts on her face are still memories of the Montenegro game.

Grijseels accepts that.

She's only 174 centimeters long, she can't throw behind cover, she has to get into the fray.

And she does that excellently at this continental handball fair: she scored 29 goals in four games, making her the top scorer of the tournament, although others have already completed five games.

She needed 41 attempts for her 29 hits - a presentable yield of 70 percent.

Final round in view

The selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) will need a goal-dangerous and ball-safe director to survive in the main round games against France and Romania in Skopje, Macedonia.

Due to the convincing 36:28 against the Netherlands on Friday (Grijseels scored eight goals), national coach Markus Gaugisch's team is facing a semi-final final: defeating the world-class team from France would mean opening the door to the final round in Ljubljana.

That would be a big step in silencing critical voices.

"I'm against it being interpreted in such a way that we never win when it matters most," says Grijseels, "I understand that it often looks like that in the final accounts.

But it doesn't fail on the nerves.

We're under pressure in every game, every goal is crucial and we're holding up well here and in tournaments before that for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

Focus on women's handball

But both the participation there and the big hit elsewhere have so far failed to materialize.

And that despite the fact that DHB President Andreas Michelmann has declared women's handball to be a top priority with a view to the home World Cup in 2025 and many things in the team and around it have become more professional.

Grijseels, 26 years old, says: “The support from the federation is really good.

I don't see it as pressure that more people are looking at us now.

I'm happy about this focus on women's handball.

It's a great sport that deserves more media coverage."

Captain Grijseels has been with the national team since 2018.

In addition to professional handball, she studied primary school teaching, likes soccer, but is a handball player through and through.

In her eighth season at Borussia Dortmund, the tough playmaker has long demonstrated the level of the Champions League, including in defence, where she covers halfway.

Because the overall package is right, Gaugisch enthuses: “It plays a very, very important role.

She successfully carried the team in Dortmund throughout the season, she has routine, coolness and it is possible to exchange ideas with her in the game.

Off the field, she's always ready to tune in.

Alina is our tip of the scales.”

And in a difficult situation.

The allegations of abuse against her club coach André Fuhr and the consequences certainly did not go unnoticed, even if she was not directly affected.

Grijseels says: “That was definitely an issue in the preparation.

There was space to talk about it, otherwise subconsciously it keeps playing a role.

I think it's very good that the DHB has set up a commission to deal with this.

After that it wasn't an issue anymore.” Curiously, the former national coach Henk Groener is now your club coach at BVB.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (8.30 p.m./3.30 p.m., Sportdeutschland.tv) Grijseels and Co. are now faced with a double load that will demand everything from them.

"We know that everything has to fit against France," she says.

Then somehow get some rest, get some sleep, get your tired body going again after a 15-hour break against Romania in order to keep an eye on the goal of the 2024 Olympic Games: "This game mode is irresponsible." But as Alina Grijseels says: the will the German must be larger.

This is definitely true for her – even if it hurts again.