National coach Andy Schmid speaks of a great day for Swiss handball after reaching the main round of the World Championship. The team showed astonishing maturity in the 30:28 win against Poland.
19.01.2025, 23:10
20.01.2025, 06:44
SDA
With an average age of 24.3 years, the Swiss are the youngest team at the World Championships. It was all the more astonishing how they reacted after the Poles had equalized at 22:22 (44') after trailing 15:21 (34'). "I'm really proud that we came out of that situation so well and didn't let ourselves get rattled," said five-time goalscorer Lenny Rubin, who, as in the first two matches at this World Championship against the Czech Republic (17:17) and Germany (29:31), took on a lot of responsibility and was named the best player of the game. The backcourt was very young, but everyone remained cool.
The team's reaction to the tricky phase was also highlighted by national coach Andy Schmid. The former top player, who only took over the job last February, was not only proud of the players, but also of himself, "because I was courageous, because I changed a few things that shaped the game".
For example, Schmid brought on 23-year-old director Mehdi Ben Romdhane at this stage, who had not played a single minute in this match and had not yet really arrived in the tournament. He repaid the trust with three goals. However, this is no coincidence, as Schmid attaches great importance to the players feeling comfortable. "I'm convinced that if you treat people the way they want to be treated, they'll give it back. Nevertheless, I demand a lot. That's the balance I'm looking for as a coach. It has worked well so far. It's a great day for Swiss handball."
Rubin agrees with the latter. For him, the fact that the team has reached the main round is "something big and very special". It is still not a matter of course for them to even be at major tournaments. In fact, it should not be forgotten that the Swiss were only allowed to take part in the tournament thanks to a wild card, as they were beaten in the World Championship play-off on penalties by Olympic fourth-placed Slovenia. In addition, the SHV selection was drawn into a difficult group, which they finished in 2nd place. All of this makes advancing even more valuable.
However, there is not much time to celebrate, as the Swiss will play Tunisia in Herning on Tuesday. The other opponents in the main round are Olympic champions and defending champions Denmark on Thursday and Italy on Saturday. However, there was a fine dinner outside the hotel on Sunday evening, and Andy Schmid picked up the bill.
