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COLOGNE - Comments from Germany head coach Alfred Gislason (ISL) and right back Kai Häfner (GER), Croatia head coach Goran Perkovac (CRO), goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic (CRO) and right wing Mario Sostaric (CRO); France head coach Guillaume Gille (FRA), right back Nédim Rémili (FRA) and goalkeeper Charles Bolzinger (FRA), and Hungary head coach Chema Rodriguez (ESP) and line player Bence Bánhidi (HUN); Austria head coach Ales Pajovic (SLO), right wing Robert Weber (AUT) and goalkeeper Constantin Möstl (AUT), and Iceland head coach Snorri Stein Guðjónsson (ISL) and goalkeeper Björgvin Pall Gustavsson (ISL) after Iceland beat Austria 26:24, France beat Hungary 35:32 and Croatia beat Germany 30:24 in main round group I at the LANXESS arena on Wednesday.
GERMANY vs CROATIA
Alfred Gislason (ISL) – head coach, Germany
On the defeat:
“They deserved to win. I was quite satisfied with the first half.
“Of course, we are very satisfied to come to the semi-finals. To get to the semi-finals, it was our dream and we achieved that but today we played a quite good first half and the second half, we are playing well, not well enough.
“We had 17 shots and almost two thirds of them were against the goalkeeper [Dominik Kuzmanovic] which was a little bit disappointing or very disappointing. I was playing with the most of the players who were fresh, but who were not playing well. So we were not on the level of first half.”
On the semi-final:
“Now we have in two days a game against Denmark and one more day off. So, we all know, we have to play fantastic game to have a slight chance against Denmark.”
Kai Häfner (GER) - right back
On the game:
"It's a loss but it's not the same mood as we had after the game against Austria. I think everyone already had their mind towards the future, towards the semi-final. There was quite a few talks before the game, about the Olympic qualifications and all, and it might have played on us. The main thing is that we are in the semi-finals."
On losing self-confidence before the semi-final:
"I don't think this will happen. We are playing the semi-final of the EURO, which was our goal before the start of the competition, so I don't expect anything else than being 100 per cent focus on Friday. I mean, we'll be playing the EURO semi-final at home against Denmark in front of 20,000 fans, you don't need anything more to be focused, I think."
Goran Perkovac (CRO) – head coach, Croatia
On the team’s performance at the EHF EURO:
“Last game and first game, they were beautiful, first against Spain and now against Germany in the LANXESS arena in front of 20,000 spectators. It was very nice and it shows how good and how strong team we can get in the future. I am proud of this team and I am proud of our staff.
“We did a very good job but we did not have enough luck to move something in the right direction, to play in semi-final or final. But everybody could see that this team is strong and plays very good handball. I am proud of them. Today our goalkeeper [Dominik Kuzmanovic] was on a very high level, he took 22 balls which is a lot in handball and this young goalkeeper has a very very nice future.”
Dominik Kuzmanovic (CRO) - goalkeeper
On the game:
"It's amazing for us to win such a game, in front of 20,000 fans and the host of the tournament. We showed a very good performance, we really played as a team during the whole game and we were able to win.
“The second half we played defensively was amazing. It's a little bit sad that we played our best games in the first and last game of the tournament, but that's it. At least, we finish on a high and we go home after a victory."
On his performance:
"22 saves is not something I do every night, I even had 27 with my club once, but of course, it's an amazing feeling, especially since it came with a win also. It was an amazing experience, I'm really proud of the performance I had and I'm glad I could help the boys."
Mario Sostaric (CRO) - right wing
On the game:
"It feels good to win a game again, our first win in the main round. It's a good sign for the future, and also encouraging since we have the Olympic qualification coming up for us. In some way, tonight was already a good preparation for that. We are satisfied we managed to play very well tonight against a very strong team."
On the regrets Croatia might have at the end of the tournament:
"Of course we have regrets, we showed we were able to beat Spain and Germany, played good against France but also to play quite bad in other games.
“We had a couple of tough days in the main round, with a lot of emotions and we didn't manage to win games in this period. But I'm sure the future is bright for Croatia, we have really good players and I think we are going in the right direction."
FRANCE vs HUNGARY
Guillaume Gille (FRA) – head coach, France
On the last main round game:
“We are very satisfied tonight to reach the final stage. It was a very strange game for us because we were already qualified for the semi-final and you have to play against a very strong team from Hungary. So it was a very interesting commitment from the players and I’m really satisfied about the way they played this game.”
On the upcoming semi-final against Sweden:
“That’s another story. You reach a level where all the games will be decided in a couple of balls and that’s why we are very excited to be there, to take part of this final tournament. Until now we lived an amazing atmosphere overall and it will be the same at the last weekend, so I hope I enjoy the rest of the challenge.”
Nédim Rémili (FRA) - right back
On the game:
"Everyone saw, from the rhythm we put in the first 10 minutes, that we were not there just to play that game but really to win it. I think had already scored five goals within the first five minutes. We put all the ingredients in so the game would be easy for us. And even though they came back in the second half, we were able to remain in control until the end."
On playing Sweden in the semi-finals:
"It's becoming a rivalry as we have played against them many times in the semi-finals of the last competitions. They lead two-one, but we won the last one. Some say that it's because they were missing Jim Gottfridsson, but we'll see about that on Friday."
Charles Bolzinger (FRA) - goalkeeper
On finding his rhythm after not playing for a couple of games:
"It was quite touchy, I missed the adrenalin of not playing for a while. It's hard to find the reflexes when you play once in a while, even though we train hard, it is not the same thing. But it came back quickly and I'm happy I was able to help the team tonight."
On the importance of winning Wednesday’s game:
"We saw yesterday that Sweden lost by 10 and they did not look too happy afterwards, even though their game had no impact on the rankings. I think it's important to keep the rhythm going, to keep the momentum and to win one more game, even if it has very little important. We wanted to play 100 per cent, if only as a mark of respect for the teams battling for the qualification."
Chema Rodriguez (ESP) – head coach, Hungary
On the defeat:
“In the first half we don’t play so good. We had problems with the balance. They scored a goal too easy against us after our goal or when we give the ball away to them. It was difficult to defend. When we positioned our defence, until the half-time, we got easy fast breaks.
“In the second half, we tried to solve this but it was not enough. They are a strong team, they have lot of qualities in defence and attack, fast breaks and goal. You almost have to do all perfect and you need France does not play the best in the match to become a winner.”
On the placement match:
“For the next match against Slovenia, we are going to prepare after this. For us to be fifth would be a history in Hungary at Euro and we would like to try to do so.”
Bence Bánhidi (HUN) – line player
On the game:
"It was a hard battle, we started very well but I think France did not play their best handball in the first 10 minutes also. They have so much quality that it is hard to stop them. Tonight, our defence was not efficient enough, just like against Germany. We can be happy we gave 100 per cent on the court, but sadly that was not enough."
On being eliminated from the semi-final race:
"We knew it would be hard, especially since France were not going to give away that game. Of course, we are disappointed because you always want more, but there is nothing to say. We can be really proud of what we showed during the whole EURO."
AUSTRIA vs ICELAND
Ales Pajovic (SLO) – head coach, Austria
On the match:
“We now played the third time against Iceland in January and they showed us how strong they are. We were really fighting, we were six goals behind in half-time, had a lot of problems but then we were lucky today that our goalkeeper [Constantin Möstl] was amazing with more than 20 saves.
On the EHF EURO as a whole:
“I’m really happy with this tournament. We were close today and it’s always this feeling what could happen. We did our best in all seven games and I’m just happy and really proud of my team for what we did.”
Robert Weber (AUT) - right wing
On the game:
"It was really a tough one, you could feel that our heads wanted to win, but the legs could not quite follow. We are very, very tired, so the start of the game, the whole first half actually, was very bad. But then maybe Iceland slowed down a little, but we also told ourselves that we did not want to go out on such a terrible performance. But that was not enough, sadly."
On missing qualification for the semi-finals:
"We're sad, but in the meantime, what has happened to us during this EURO has already been more than what we could ever hope for. If you had told us that we would be in the battle for the semis before the last round two weeks ago, I would have said you were crazy. So yes, we are disappointed, but in the meantime, we are so happy about our performance already."
Constantin Möstl (AUT) - goalkeeper
On the game:
"It was really two different halves. First one, we lacked rhythm, we were not able to score much, and it was really hard keeping up the rhythm. Second one was much better, you could feel we defended better and we managed to catch up. In the end, yes, we lost, but I would rather take with me the fact that we battled."
On his performance:
"I only wanted to help the team, and that's what I tried to do for 60 minutes. That's what I thought in the first half, make as much saves as possible so maybe we can manage to score. It nearly worked, especially after the break, when the defence was much better."
On the outcome for Austria:
"Of course, we would have wanted to finish with a win, maybe dream of something else, but we are really happy about what we showed for Austrian handball. We are disappointed because we won't go the semi-final but in the meantime, it has been a crazy journey since the beginning of January. I'm sure that, in a few days, we'll be happy about what we did."
Snorri Stein Guðjónsson (ISL) – head coach, Iceland
On the match:
“We were in the good position at the half-time but then we had a bad performance against a good team. Austria is playing a fantastic tournament with great spirit and heart. We knew they have a great goalkeeper [Constantin Möstl]. We also think we can be satisfied that we were good enough to win.”
Björgvin Pall Gustavsson (ISL) - goalkeeper
On the game:
"We played a very good first half, our defence was really good and they could not score a lot of goals. The start of the second half was a little disaster, we played terrible for 10 minutes and they took the momentum. Of course we battled back, we won the game but that's not what we wanted, really."
On Iceland winning but still not smiling:
"We wanted to beat Austria by a lot to get our chances for the 5/6 game, and if the game had stopped at half-time, that would have been perfect for us. But yeah, we can only be mad against ourselves, to be honest. We lost by a lot against Hungary, today we were not able to keep our advantage. That sucks, but hopefully we can learn from that."
On the overall performance of Iceland during the tournament:
"There are three or four teams, like Denmark, France or Sweden, which are above the rest of the pack. But then, you have five or six teams behind, fighting for the odd semi-final spot or maybe more, and I think we belong there. We are in the main round, which is nice, but I think we fell short again and lack consistency. Just like we did today."
TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas
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