Germany and Iceland duelled until a logical result, Nieke Kühne entered with a positive effect and the fast break force led Germany throughout. Here are Fredrik Hasselgrens 3 takes after Germany defeated Iceland, 32–25.
Logical score in the premiere
Stuttgart and the TV screens offered the first of 92 matches that will decide the medals in WC 2025. Premiere performances seldom leave room for glimmering hopes, Germany provided the stronger squad and led the second half but couldn´t get rid of disturbing ups and downs. Iceland acted in a positive way keeping up with the home favourites much longer than expected. In the end, 32–25 was logical. .
Nieke Kühne´s positive substitution effect
After the energy affected start and nine goals on nine minutes, Germany suffered some deceleration. The coach Markus Gaugisch could alter the development by some player reshuffling. Enter Nieke Kühne with fresh force, capacity for a few direct goals and assisting abilities in the back court role. In a period where Iceland was able to close in on the host nation and defy the hopes of the spectators Kühne managed to steer Germany to a stable half time lead. She returned for more minutes towards the end of the game, adding some good defensive action to the positive effect and found the net with the final goal, her fifth in the game.
The fast break story certainly played a part
The rapid turn of play in fast breaks has grown to be a vital part of handball. Germany paced in a frenetic fashion from the start and got the running going with success. Iceland trailed behind in the fast break column, even so after the full 60 minutes. In the periods were the outsider really pushed and tried to close the gap, Iceland really could have needed effective conversion rather than adding to the technical faults. Germany kept the upper hand, 8–2 in fast break goals.