A coaching change in the middle of the Women's EHF EURO qualifiers is truly unusual for Germany, but Markus Gaugisch's tenure started with a clear 40:11 win against Greece in group 3 on Thursday evening.
The victory, which was Germany's biggest in the history of this competition phase, enabled Gaugisch's side to progress to the final tournament in November.
GROUP 3
Greece vs Germany 11:40 (5:19)
- Greece scored the fewest goals in the first half of a Women's EHF EURO qualifier since they put five past Spain in June 2010
- Germany goalkeeper Isabell Roch made seven saves in the first half from 12 shots faced for a 58.3 per cent save efficiency
- centre back Alina Grijseels scored as many goals as Greece scored in the first 30 minutes
- this was Germany's biggest win in the history of the Women's EHF EURO qualifiers, three goals more than the 26-goal drubbing of Italy, 45:19, in June 2010
- Greece are on a 17-game losing streak on the court in phase 2 of the EHF EURO qualifiers, with their last win being registered against Israel in December 2017
Big task awaits Gaugisch despite huge win
Debuts are hard for any coach, but Germany’s Markus Gaugisch, who replaced Henk Groener this month, enjoyed a stress-free maiden game on the bench in Almere, Netherlands. With the concluding games in group 3 turned into a triple-header in the Netherlands, Germany needed a win to secure their spot at the Women's EHF EURO 2022 and they did it in emphatic fashion.
As Germany became only the third team after to qualify for the final tournament in each of the 15 editions, Gaugisch will now have plenty of time to fine-tune Germany into a team with his vision for the EHF EURO 2022. However, Germany have not finished higher than fourth since 2008, so it will be a huge task for Gaugisch.
