Stunning Andreas Wolff destroys Norway’s hopes

The two teams shared the momentum in the first half-time. Norway took the best start and gave themselves a four-goal advantage after 10 minutes, but Germany finished stronger. They even took the lead shortly, before the wind turned again and Norway were up by two at the break.

The game remained undecided until the last quarter. Before that, the two teams played back and forth, but in the end, Germany took the upper hand. With Andreas Wolff behind the posts and Marko Grgić on scoring duties, they broke away at the start of the last 10 minutes to take their third win in the main round.

GROUP I

Germany vs Norway 30:28 (15:17)

H2H: 8-2-5
Top scorers: Marko Grgić 7/9 (GER); Sander Sagosen 5/13, August Pedersen 5/8, Kevin Gulliksen 5/8 (NOR)
Goalkeepers: Andreas Wolff 22/50 (GER) ; Robin Haug 4/9, Torbjørn Bergerud 10/32 (NOR)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Andreas Wolff (GER)

• with their defence firmly in place, Norway took the best start and an early four-goal advantage, as Germany struggled to get past Torbjørn Bergerud
• Andreas Wolff was elemental for Germany to steal the momentum, as his nine saves in the first 20 minutes allowed his team to make the score even before the break
• the score remained tight throughout the second half, with Germany closing up a three-goal disadvantage shortly after the break
• Marko Grgić was the game-changer for Germany, as the left-back scored four unanswered goals in the middle of the second half to put his team five goals ahead with 11 minutes remaining
• all three goalkeepers stopped a penalty shot and made plenty of other saves, but it was Player of the Match Wolff who was the gamechanger for Germany
• Germany remain the sole leaders of the group with six points, while Norway are still on two points

Where would Germany be without Andreas Wolff?

To say that Andreas Wolff stole the show on Saturday night in Herning would be a big understatement. The German team did not have the best of games, but their goalkeeper got them out of trouble. Although the defensive performance in the first half was far from the best, conceding 17 goals, Wolff had already made 11 saves at the break.

It was even more obvious in the second half. Wolff had the same amount of saves, but it became apparent that his opponents’ hands were shaking when they were approaching the goal. Kasper Thorsen Lien, for instance, missed the goal twice, hitting the posts with a wide angle. Even on bad nights, Germany can count on their iconic goalkeeper to keep their heads above the water.

Photos © kolektiff images