Starting point of the game: Play for third place, play for the sour cucumber. But since the handball players are known to be so close to the ground, storm-resistant and earth-bound and even have all the positive qualities, they take this game seriously. Both teams had already been heard in advance how seriously they wanted to tackle this task.

Result of the game: The game was really taken seriously. So seriously. Wrestling until the last second. In the 26:25 victory for France fell.

The first half: A concentrated German team, which is almost always in the lead. Who has a very strong Andreas Wolff in goal. In which Patrick Wiencek used to operate as a fighting pig. And that's why at the end of this halftime earned with four hits head start in the cabin. 13: 9, what else should go wrong?

The second half: A concentrated French team, which is almost always in the lead from 42 minutes. Which has a very strong Vincent Gerard in goal. In the Nikola Karabatic usual used as a fighting pig. And that's why at the end of this half the one goal is better.

The dramatic last seconds between Germany and France in the match for third place at the Handball World Cup. At the end the Germans stand there empty handed. # GERFRA pic.twitter.com/6JgRzlNRDA

- NDR Sport (@NDRsport) January 27, 2019

The last second: For the final phase in handball, the words hectic and drama were introduced in the sports coverage. It is 25:25, and 15 seconds before the end, the German team has come into possession. But instead of playing the attack deliberately, Matthias Musche risks "a Harakiri pass", as the goalkeeper Andreas Wolff later called. Hendrik Pekeler can not catch the ball, the Harakiri Pass lands at the French, fast paced, Karabatic, goal, final siren. Lost.

Player of the match: The tournament started without Nikola Karabatic. The superstar of the French was injured, and everyone thought that this World Cup would be played without a karabatic. But the 34-year-old healed faster than expected, was nachnominiert - and after 59 minutes and 59 seconds in the match for third place, this had paid off at the latest. Ice cold, the man.

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Germany at the Handball World Cup: In the last second missed the podium

Quote of the game: "We actually played a great World Cup." Andreas Wolff said everything with the sentence. Actually.

Boom of the game: The ZDF should have retracted once again a fat rating. From now on, everyone calms down again. From February Hannover-Burgdorf is again against TVB Stuttgart.

Recognition of the game: If there was a question that had the prospect of the week's nuisance, then it was: what can football learn from handball? Maybe this is: That a game for third place can be more dramatic than a final.