Handball. 2007 World Cup. Russian team left overboard the semifinals
1st of February. Koln. Germany - France. 19.30
GERMANY TEAM
Recent high-profile successes. Gold of the 2004 European Championship in Slovenia and silver of the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The best result at the world championships. Gold World Cup 1938 in Germany and World Cup 1978 in Denmark.
The result at the 2005 World Cup in Tunisia. 9th place.
Performance at the 2007 World Cup. An analogy with another “Bundesmannschaft”, football, is still appropriate. At home, the team inspired by the support of the homeland gives the impression of being able to jump above their heads. The only misfire in the preliminary round match against the sensational Poles, in principle, has already been forgotten and completely redeemed by a series of five victories, including over the plenipotentiary European champions the French (in the semifinals they will have to play with them again) and the Spaniards, who have already ceased to be the first in the world.
Trainer. Heiner Brand is recognized first of all by a lush mustache, thanks to which he shares the nickname Antje with a popular cartoon hero - walrus. Once Brand had to part with his main adornment. He, as promised, publicly shaved after the Germans won the European Championship in 2004. This is his only top title in a decade at the head of the German national team. That inertia champion team also got Athenian silver. Now, having radically updated the national team, Brand is trying on the top, which he had already visited once - as a player, in 1978 ...
Star. Henning Fritz is the goalkeeper of a pronounced classical manner, rational in movements and restrained in feelings. In 2004, he became the first goalkeeper in the history of the game, recognized as the handball player of the year on the planet. In the German national team since 1994. But there is no way enough for either her or Kiel stuffed with celebrities. The age of Christ is the time for the flourishing of goalkeeper talents. What Hanning confirms at this championship with a 35 percent reliability indicator and a fantastic number of seven-meter hits - 8 out of 20!
The trump card. The crowded twenty-thousandth Cologne Arena chanting the names of its idols in chorus after each goal scored. The atmosphere of genuine support for the whole country will probably mean more than sound training and strict discipline of the team with an average, with a demanding look, selection of players.
Achilles' heel. Lack of equivalent performers. In a number of positions there are no worthy second numbers. This will make the team too vulnerable in case of injuries or failures for players of the starting seven.
Recent meetings at top tournaments with other semi-finalists. France - 29:26 (01/27/07, World Cup, main round); Denmark - 22:20 (01/31/04, UEFA European Championship semi-final); Poland - 25:27 (01/22/07, World Cup, preliminary round).
The likelihood of a championship (rating "Sport today"). thirty%.
TEAM FRANCE
Last resounding success. Gold European Championship 2006 in Switzerland.
The best result at the world championships. Gold World Cup 1995 in Iceland and World Cup 2001 in France.
The result at the 2005 World Cup in Tunisia. 3rd place.
Performance at the 2007 World Cup. Five wins and two losses. Note that both losses - to the Icelanders and Germans - were not troubles in the projection of the tournament situation. These matches were “tricolor” given, in fact, providing trips to the next rounds. But among the convincingly defeated - Poles and Croats. These rivals were not inferior to anyone else in the championship. The brilliant Croats, the French team knocks out the second top tournament in a row from the medal race - a year ago there was also the European Championship. It seems that she has reliably mastered the strategy of gradual climb and prudent exit from the shadow at a crucial moment.
Trainer. Claude Onest's birthday is February 6th. This means that with a great desire, he can give himself wonderful gifts every year. Indeed, at the beginning of February, handball world and European championships traditionally finish. Today, the French mentor will turn 50. And his team is not worse than us, obviously not intending to trifle with the notorious ties. Fortunately, Onesta never wears them. He took the national team in the status of world champion in 2001, from the hands of the legendary Daniel Costantini. The next two planetary forums the French finished third. But Onesta clearly dreams of more. Moreover, the golden rehearsal at the continental championship a year ago he was remarkably successful.
Star. The youngest of the Gilles brothers, 29-year-old Bertrand, surprises with a rare combination of gaming qualities. In attack, it is linear, in defense - the front player with various variations of active constructions. He performs these equally exhausting functions, rarely asking for a replacement! At the same time, he is ready to play in almost any other position, except the goalkeeper’s position, which was repeatedly confirmed in the Bundesliga Hamburg. On the highest score in the handball world, Bertrand Gilles has long been recognized as the best handball player of the planet back in 2002?
The trump card. Perfectly debugged defense game. Its pillars are Bertrand Gilles, the best back center back of the world Didier Dinard and goalkeeper Thierry Omaye. By the way, the last one from this season is the Kiel partner of his semi-final counterpart Fritz!
Achilles' heel. No cool point guard. This makes the competition in dynamic positional attacks obviously unprofitable for the French. The key to success is not to give in to their offer to play sticky, leisurely handball.
Recent meetings at top tournaments with other semi-finalists. Germany - 26:29 (01/27/07, World Cup, main round); Denmark - 32:26 (01/29/05, World Cup, preliminary round); Poland - 31:22 (01/24/07, World Cup, main round).
The likelihood of a championship (rating "Sport today"). 40%
1st of February. Hamburg Poland - Denmark. 10 p.m.
TEAM POLAND
Recent high-profile successes. Bronze at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and at the 1982 World Cup in Germany.
The best result at the world championships. Bronze at the 1982 World Cup in Germany.
The result at the 2005 World Cup in Tunisia. I did not get into the final stage.
Performance at the 2007 World Cup . Awesome! The team, which for a quarter of a century had not been considered among the favorites of the top tournaments, and often was simply not seen there, was the main opening of the championship. Only once, in a duel of the main round against the French, did the Poles lose their temper and control over the game. And the most dramatic fight for them was the winning quarterfinal against the Russian team. The score in it was drafted seven times, but the Byala-Reds never became catching up, but won in the end with an advantage in the ball.
Trainer. The star of Polish 80s handball Bogdan Venta, having succumbed to Spanish and then German legionnaire breads, for a long time departed from the problems of his sport in his homeland. So far that he completed his career as a player in the Olympic Sydney as part of ... the German national team. However, in Poland there was no evil against Venta. And when they became convinced of his coaching power (using the same Bundesliga as an example), they called to the kingdom for “representation”. And they even agreed to an outlandish combination of posts: today the 46-year-old Bogdan also leads the German Magdeburg. In the national team, he started famously, leaving in 2005 outside the final stage of the European Championship untouchable Swedes. Even then, it became clear what treasure Venta got. He just agreed with all the star legionnaires, for some reason not burning, like him, the desire to play under the white and red flag. For a couple of years, Venta was eyeing the assembled branded parts. Today, I screwed them into a mechanism that worked with implausible reliability.
Star. The left welterweight Karol Beletsky is the holder of the most inevitable throw in the world. Components of inevitability: a high dynamic take-off, a sharp swing with an amazing “whip”, phenomenal self-confidence plus sniper accuracy, which helps to heal the most vulnerable areas of the goal. Three years ago, a two-meter red-haired phlegmatic who scored the most at the World Youth Championship in Brazil, Magdeburg tore off the Polish “Vive” from Kielce with arms and legs for 200 thousand euros.
The trump card. Perfectly played and aggressive back line. In addition to Beletsky, the stars of the Bundesliga today go to Marcin Lievski, Grzegorz Tkachik, Mariusz Jurasik. And also linear Bartosh Yuretski. Yes goalkeeper Slavomir Shmal in addition ...
Achilles' heel. Lack of experience in joint take-offs at exorbitant heights. The first attempts were rarely successful, even in astronautics.
Recent meetings at top tournaments with other semi-finalists. Denmark - 23:22 (03/03/82, World Cup, match for bronze); Germany - 27:25 (01/22/07, World Cup, preliminary round); France - 22:31 (01/24/07, World Cup, main round).
The likelihood of a championship (rating "Sport today"). 15%.
TEAM DENMARK
Last resounding success. Bronze at the 2006 European Championships in Switzerland.
The best result at the world championships. Silver at the 1967 World Cup in Sweden.
The result at the 2005 World Cup in Tunisia. 13th place.
Performance at the 2007 World Cup. Handball ancestors spent ten minutes more in battle than all other award seekers. In the hottest of the quarter finals, they had to overtime, with two goals in the last minute, squeeze stubborn Icelanders. The Danes are adept at surviving science. At the preliminary stage, they adequately demolished the starting slap in the face from the Hungarians and in the most difficult match they pulled out the second place among the Norwegians. And in the main round they hovered over the precipice, losing to the Croats. The path to salvation was uncontested: to beat the Spaniards and Russians. They did it too!
Trainer. 49-year-old Ulrik Vilbek is a unique person. He intends to set foot in the same river twice. True, the second time comes from the other side. In 1996-97, the female (!) Danish team led by him owned at once all the handball gold of the planet: Olympic, planetary, European. Then conquer the pedestals, coupled with female characters, the person got bored. For a short while he went into politics at the municipal level. But quickly yearned for. Asked for the male Viborg. And from there, before last year’s European Championships, he came to the men's national team of the country, taking straight away with her the usual Danes (third row!) Bronze. Everyone is waiting for the lucky Wilbek to continue. Note that the Danish national team made its way to the four of the strongest at the world championships 25 years ago.
Star. The choice is simple - Lars Christiansen, one of the strongest left-wing extremes in the world, an unsurpassed master of completing quick breaks today, into which he flies away faster than anyone, despite his 35-year-old age. Behind - a dozen glorious seasons in the German Flensburg. And the third hundred games and the twelfth (!) - goals scored have long been exchanged in the team.
The trump card. The total giftedness of the whole team, staying in perfect age conditions. This provides an enviable variability of the tempo combination game and makes the Danes unpredictable for rivals.
Achilles' heel. The lack of psychology of the winners. The team often broke morally in moments of extreme tension a step or two to the top goal. And it seems that her disbelief in herself has become chronic.
Recent meetings at top tournaments with other semi-finalists. Poland - 22:23 (03/03/82, World Cup, match for bronze); Germany - 20:22 (01/31/04, European Championship, semifinal); France - 26:32 (01/29/05, World Cup, preliminary round).
The likelihood of a championship (rating "Sport today"). 15%.