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January 17, 2025Switzerland should certainly be credited for putting a lot of pressure on their rivals in the second match of the evening in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, but ultimately the more experienced Germans snatched two points and became the first Group A team to book their main round ticket, with a 31:29 win.
GROUP A
Switzerland vs Germany 29:31 (14:15)
Germany were favoured to win this match, after dominating Switzerland twice in 2024, but it was Switzerland who enjoyed a better start. Lenny Rubin, who had scored nearly half of his team’s goals in the opening match against Czechia – eight of 17 – demonstrated his fire power again, as his three goals lifter the Swiss side to a surprising 5:2, just 10 minutes into the match.
Germany’s coach Alfred Gislason took a timeout, and soon after that, his team started to find their rhythm. Spurred by a string of saves from Andreas Wolff, they used a 5:1 run to take their first lead in the game, 9:8 in the 22nd minute. Soon afterwards, the Germans increased the gap to three goals (13:10), but Switzerland did not give up and cut the deficit to one goal at the interval.
After Nikola Portner’s heroics in Switzerland’s opening encounter with Czechia, his exciting duel with Andreas Wolff could be expected, yet it was the German goalkeeper who had much more impact in the first half. He made 10 saves, twice as much as Portner, and his 42% save rate was one of the key factors which helped his team to turn the tide.
Bot rivals had a number of turnovers early in the second half, but Switzerland were more efficient and restored their advantage, as 10 minutes after the break, they were up 22:20. However, some further saves from Wolff helped Germany hit back again, as goals from Renars Uscins and Julian Köster propelled them to a 4:0 run.
So Gislason’s team were in front again, but then the game made another twist, as Luka Maros netted twice in a row, and Noam Leopold converted a 7m shot, handing Switzerland a 25:24 lead before another Köster’s goal made it level again with 10 minutes to go.
Left back Köster rose to prominence in the German attack, scoring six of his seven goals in the second half, and Germany had more energy left in the closing minutes, taking a 30:27 lead after Lukas Mertens and Timo Kastening converted a pair of fast breaks. The brilliant Wolff, the hummel Player of the Match, also had an impact, making some crucial late saves and ending the game with 20 saves for a 42% efficiemcy, while Portner stopped 13 balls throughout 60 minutes.
On Sunday, Germany will face Czechia in their last group game, while Switzerland and Poland, who are tied on one point, will meet in a do-or-die encounter.
hummel Player of the Match: Andreas Wolff (Germany)