Post-match flash quotes: group A, 16 January
BERLIN - Comments from France head coach Guillaume Gille (FRA), left back Nikola Karabatic (FRA) and Germany head coach Alfred Gislason (ISL), left wing Rune Dahmke (GER); North Macedonia head coach Kiril Lazarov (MKD), goalkeeper Martin Tomovski (MKD), Switzerland head coach Michael Suter (SUI), goalkeeper Nikola Portner (SUI), line player Lukas Laube (SUI) and centre back Andy Schmid (SUI) after North Macedonia beat Switzerland 29:27, and France beat Germany 33:30 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday.
FRANCE vs GERMANY
Guillaume Gille (FRA) - head coach, France
On the win:
"It was an incredible fight in front of this crowd. It was difficult for us to find a way to win. This win means a lot in a very tight championship."
On the main round:
"We know how difficult the main round is going to be. We will have to find different solutions in every single game."
Nikola Karabatic (FRA) – left back
On the game:
"This is definitely our best game since the beginning of the EHF EURO. We did not panic when they started well but we also kept our composure when they came back in the second half. Defensively, we played at a very high level even though they scored 30 [goals]. We expected a tough game against a Germany team, also because of their fans, but we were there and we showed who we are tonight."
On bouncing back after the draw with Switzerland:
"As I said to the guys, we had not lost anything after the Switzerland game, we have not won anything today. We saw in the EURO some surprising results, and thankfully our draw from Sunday will not play against us.
“Collectively and individually, today was very good and maybe Switzerland was just an accident, I don't know. We'll see in the future but at least we bounced back and I'm very happy about that."
Alfred Gislason (ISL) - head coach, Germany
On the game:
"We tried everything we could. We knew that we had to show a perfect game. France is excellent in all aspects. They have an experienced team and an excellent bench. They know how to play in crunch-time. We have to admit that France deserved to win.
“During the game we could not change a lot due to their strong counterattacks. Therefore some of our players were quite tired in the end and France could even play better defence. For me France and Denmark are the best teams in the world.”
On his team:
"We still have a young, talented team - also younger than the French team. This time we have improved many things compared to the match two years ago. The team has shown very good development, however we want to improve the breadth of the team and work on better shooting power from the back.“
On the next opponents, Iceland:
"So far Iceland is struggling a bit – much to my surprise – they were quite lucky in the game against Montenegro. They have strong back players from SC Magdeburg around the leader Aaron Pálmarsson and very good wing players as well."
Rune Dahmke (GER) – left wing
On the game:
"France proved to be more consistent throughout the sixty minutes of the game and they did not panic when we started good. Afterwards, it was really a close game, there was not much difference between us, but in the end, I guess experience made the difference. It was all down to one shot, one save. We gave a good performance but it was not enough, sadly."
On travelling to Cologne with zero points:
"I don't think it will make that much of a difference. We have already seen that any team can beat any team in this competition, so of course it is better to start with two points, but I'm sure we will work it out. We know we have to win all our games to qualify for the semi-final, it's quite simple and maybe better not to have to calculate."
NORTH MACEDONIA vs SWITZERLAND
Kiril Lazarov (MKD) - head coach, North Macedonia
On the win:
"It is not easy to play against a team like Switzerland. They have shown this in the last game [against France] but also in the last two years. They have a lot of experienced players. I am satisfied because we did not make a lot of technical mistakes compared to the last two matches. It is important for us to finish in third place because we will have easier opponents for the World Championship qualification."
On Andy Schmid (SUI):
"I am very very sad that he finished his career. He is one of the best players in the last 20 years and a role model as a player and as a person for the next generation."
Michael Suter (SUI) - head coach, Switzerland
On the game:
"North Macedonia was too strong in the first half-time. We came back in the second half-time. It was nuances in the end - two balls or so - some little things against us. This is sports. Our team has character, but North Macedonia was just these two goals better than us."
On Andy Schmid (SUI):
"I am proud to have worked with Andy for so many years. We started this project with many young players in 2008. Andy came back in 2018. He played a great game today and showed what is still in him. I will never forget the last years."
On the tournament:
"We were a sparring partner in the first game, showed a great second game against France and could not win today, unfortunately."
Martin Tomovski (MKD) - goalkeeper
On the game:
"I think we played very good, especially in the first half. We played good defence, I was able to make a couple of stops and we took the advantage. Sure, they pushed in the second half, Andy Schmid was amazing, but it is great that we did not panic and managed to stay in front. This win is really important for us, it is better to go home with a win at the end, even though we came here with other goals."
On his last save:
"The second half was hard for us, but we managed to have important saves. Not many, but important, like when Marko Kizikj saved the penalty, for example. I tried to stay focused, because I knew that one save could give us the win, and that's exactly what happened. I'm happy I was able to save the team."
Nikola Portner (SUI) - goalkeeper
On the game:
"Hard to finish the competition like this, especially since it was a game we had to win if we wanted to hope for the main round. But maybe the pressure crushed us, we played very badly in the first half. The second one was better, but maybe we lost too much energy trying to come back. The decision was made on only one shoot, one missed save, but that's handball."
On Andy Schmid's last performance:
"I'm sad it ended that way, I really wished we could have offered one last win with the national team. He tried his best, and gave a superb performance but that was not enough. We are all very disappointed."
Lukas Laube (SUI) - line player
On the Swiss loss against North Macedonia:
"It was a very close game, each team had its half and it came down on one shot. If we can regret anything, it is our first half, because the second one was much better. In the first half, we missed too many opportunities, too many shots and they took the lead. After that, it is hard to come back because we spend a lot of energy and maybe we missed things we would not miss usually."
Andy Schmid (SUI) - centre back
On the game:
"I'm really sad we did not take the two points, I wanted to end the championship on a high but...We played well in the second half, but the first one was not good enough. We showed a lot of qualities but we might have missed a little bit of stability, a little bit of composure."
On his own performance:
"I don't know if I scored 11 or 12 and it does not matter, I would have liked a win instead. All week, the result has been the most important thing, not me. We wanted to win this game against Macedonia, as we even managed to surprise France on Sunday. Therefore, I can't be too happy about anything tonight."
On playing his last game with the national team:
"It only went through my head in the last five minutes. It's great that it happened here, in Germany, where I have had my most brilliant handball years, where I have lived for 12 years. It's been a great adventure and I'm very grateful that I experienced all of this with the national team. To finish your international career in front of 15,000 people in Berlin, I have seen worse."
