Katharina Filter: “We've got to play at our highest”

Germany come into the clash following a defeat to Denmark in main round 2, in what was the side’s 100th match in the competition. The final score line against Denmark, 22:30, does not show how in the game Germany were until the final quarter, when the Scandinavian team pulled away to the decisive difference.

“It was a really tough game. It was what we expected. I think we played a really good first 40 minutes. We keep up with them. It was a really close fight, but in the end, Denmark made fewer mistakes,” says Germany goalkeeper Katharina Filter of the match, adding that there were a number of positives for the side to take with them as they look ahead.

“For sure the first half. The fighting — we never gave up. We could see that we are close to them the majority of the game, so this, of course, we have to take with us — the positive things. But also of course, we have to learn from our mistakes, and we have to play a good game over 60 minutes if we want to get some points again in these matches.”

Germany started their main round campaign with a 36:27 win over Switzerland. They qualified for this phase as the second-ranked team in group F, where they took victories against Ukraine and Iceland but lost to the Netherlands. As only points against teams progressing to the main round are carried over, Germany did not bring any with them to Vienna.

“I think it's a good tournament so far. We played some good games. We won against those teams that we expected to win, and we showed that we want to fight and that we really want to win those games.

“Of course, we have some losses, but also it's against good teams. But we grow together, and we learnt from our mistakes, and I think overall, we're really improving,” says Filter, who has made 35 saves at a rate of 33.98 per cent at the final tournament in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland.

Germany are regular participants in the Women’s EHF EURO, having played every edition of the event since the first in 1994 — one of just four nations with such a record.

However, this year’s European championship is the first in a long time that represents Germany’s second major competition in the same year, as they contested the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in July and August. Germany had not qualified for the women’s handball tournament at the Olympics since 2008, so making it to Paris 2024 was a significant milestone for both the country and the current line-up, who all played the event for the first time.

Naturally, that experience of the successful qualification — secured at a home tournament in Neu-Ulm — bolstered the side, and having an extra major championship under their belt had an impact for Germany.

“It was a big, big step for us, after 16 years, to qualify for the Olympic Games. For all of us, it was a big, big experience,” says Filter.

“Nobody from us played the Olympic Games before, so, of course, we gained a lot of experience in this tournament that we can take with us.”

The team that clinched the gold medal at Paris 2024 was none other than Germany’s next opponents, Norway. Although the Olympic gold medallists and winners of the last EHF EURO farewelled two key players in their team following the Games, Stine Oftedal and Nora Mørk, their level has not dropped yet as they come into main round 3 at the EHF EURO 2024 with only wins behind them. In the previous round, Norway beat the Netherlands 31:21, serving the Dutch their first defeat of the EURO in an emphatic manner.

The game on Monday will be the 15th in history between Norway and Germany, with Germany having beaten the Scandinavian team three times in the 14 previous encounters. Germany’s most recent win against Norway was at the EHF EURO 2018, which was also the last time Norway did not reach the semi-finals at a major championship. At that point, 25-year-old Filter was not yet playing for the Germany A team. She made her national team debut in 2021.

“A really, really tough game,” predicts Filter. “We've got to play at our highest. We’ve got to really prepare for this and find our way and fight really in this game. They're a really good team, so of course it depends on us and how good we're performing.”

Filter’s counterparts on Norway’s side, Katrine Lunde and Silje Solberg-Østhassel, together represent four separate EHF EURO All-star Team nods. Lunde was MVP of the Olympic Games, and was named the Grundfos Player of the Match against the Netherlands after recording 14 saves at a rate of 41.2 per cent.

However, at the EHF EURO 2024, Germany’s goalkeepers so far measure up well against Lunde and Solberg. Filter and Sarah Wachter combine for 65 saves at a rate of 35.5 per cent, while Lunde and Solberg have stopped 64 shots at 37.4 per cent.

Filter knows the goalkeeper battle will be crucial, and while she hopes it might not be the best day for Norway, has full confidence in her teammates to find the back of the net.

“I think they're the best goalkeeper duo right now. It's really impressive what they're doing,” says Filter.

“They will play a really, really big role and of course I hope that they maybe have a little bit of a bad day against us, because when they're having a great day, it's going to be really hard to score. But still, I know that we have good players and that we can throw some goals.”

Photos © EHF/kolektiff