ESP - GER: 40:35
Spain overruns Germany and wins 40:35
In the opening game of the eleventh Airport Trophy, Spain clearly beats the team from Germany. The high speed of the Spaniards, both in attack and in defence, overwhelmed the Germans.
At the beginning of the game, both teams started with a lot of speed, with Spain getting off to a better start: the offensive 4:2 defense worked excellently and they had good chances up front, which they consistently converted. In contrast, nothing worked out for Team Germany in the early stages: the hasty attacking game led to a lot of turnovers, which Spain took advantage of ice-coldly. Germany was only able to score their first goal to make it 6-1 in the seventh minute of the game. Even Germany's early timeout couldn't stop the Spaniards' run: They pulled away to 11:4.
Led by Matthes Langhoff, Germany then started to catch up in the second quarter and were able to equalize for the first time in the 22nd minute. Team Germany produced a conspicuous number of technical errors and missed shots from a promising position, which prevented them from pulling away. Fractions of a second before the half-time siren, Tim Freihöfer was able to equalize the game again.
In the second half of the game, the Spaniards got off to a better start again and gained a lead of 5 goals. One reason for this was the agile left-hander Julen Múgica Santiago, who played an excellent game. The German defense was now much more offensive, which led to more penalties: However, the outnumbered game without a goalkeeper was not very successful for Germany: almost every goal was followed by a quick pass and a throw into the orphaned goal. Thus, Spain had no trouble managing their 5-goal lead to the end. In the end, Spain easily won 40:35. Especially with the total of 15 technical mistakes, Germany missed the chance of a tighter game.
ESP-GER: 40:35 (16:16)
ESP - GER pictures
FRA - SUI: 35:29
Switzerland loses first game against France
The Swiss team was able to keep up with France over long stretches. The difference was made by the French's broader squad.
Supported by 500 fans, Team Switzerland met favored France in their first game on Friday. Right from the start, Noam Leopold and Jann Bamert were able to put themselves in the limelight with quick goals. France found the game poor and it took the coach an early timeout to put the team on the right track. Led by the agile playmaker Fadhuile-Crepy, they kept finding gaps in the middle of the Swiss defence. France was able to equalize again in the 24th minute and didn't let up until the break.
In the second half, the French coach sent an almost completely different team onto the field. This in contrast to the Swiss, who continued to play in a similar formation. From the Swiss point of view, Jann Bamert was almost the only threat from the normal attacking game, and the French were getting better and better at it. The more offensive 5:1 cover, which posed problems for the Swiss, proved to be a good means. On the other side, the whole backcourt was dangerous and clearing away on the wings also worked extremely well. They were able to continuously increase their lead and 10 minutes before the end of the game, Switzerland was 5 goals behind. Despite bouncing back with two quick goals from Leopold, Switzerland lacked the energy to fight to the end. The French consistently exploited the lack of concentration in the final phase and pulled away to 35:29 until the final whistle.
FRA-SUI: 35:29 (16:16)
SUI – FRA Pictures
