Handball Nati beats Holland 31:27 - look

It is the main rehearsal before the big highlight. The Swiss national team succeeds: in the last game before the European Championship kick-off on Friday, our handball boys at the Yellow Cup also clean up the third opponent after Ukraine and Tunisia. 31:27 win against Holland despite a tough start – the tournament win in Winterthur is in your pocket.

But more important than Nati’s first Yellow Cup triumph since 2017 is the question: Is superstar Andy Schmid (36) in EM form too? The director is our ultimate key player. The Swiss team without the five-time Bundesliga MVP, without the world-class man with brilliant ideas and fine hands? It’s like FC Barcelona without Lionel Messi: still a good team, but without that little something extra.

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Schmid with a “good feeling about the EM”

But Schmid was struggling with a thigh injury during the Yellow Cup. The experienced player only plays the first 15 minutes in the first game against Ukraine. Then he is spared: muscular problems. He completely dispenses with the Saturday game against the Tunisians. Schmid will be back on Sunday against Holland. But again not with full steam: Schmid only sits on the bench for longer periods, in the end he scores three goals. Pfadi player Kevin Jud replaces him in each case.

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Clear case: If Schmid is only available as part-time player against hosts Sweden on Friday, the first Swiss European Championship game in 14 years will be a brutally difficult task. But Schmid gives the all-clear. Lucerne said before leaving for Gothenburg: «I think I can travel to the EM with a good feeling. Of course, I prefer to play rather than pause. But it was the right decision. It was also impressive how the team played without me. »

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