The Red Wolves started their World Cup with a 43 – 28 defeat. The Belgians started the game well but halfway through the first half, the Danes took control of the match to finally rest with a 22 – 15 score. Same pattern of play in the second half. The class difference was just too big. The other match between Bahrain and Tunisia ended in a 27 – 27 draw.
MORE INFO – NL : VHV HANDBAL
MORE INFO – FR : LFH HANDBALL
Louis Delpire is the last one of who received the go for Malmö. This perfect bi-lingual “Ket” from the Brussels area is part of handbal family as his uncle Jo also has +100 selections for the national team. Last year he decided to move to Pelt where he strives for a first title in his young career.
Wednesday afternoon, the Red Wolves will host their first press conference ahead of the World Handball Championship. You can find out more about that later on our Facebook page Belgian Handball.
Today we introduce our staff members starting with our T1 Yérime Sylla, the architect of the Red Wolves’ project. As T2, he has Kevin Jacobs next to him, former international, player of Sasja and current coach of Sasja. Next to them on the bench is Marc Dongleur, team manager of the Red Wolves. Marc gets up and goes to sleep with a handball under his pillow and does everything for the team. The Red Wolves can count on two physiotherapists in Malmö: Olivier Rocks and Nick Maesen. Colin Bodet is our doctor. Bruno Willems is the head of the medical staff. Finally, there are Technical Directors Michel Kranzen and Jonathan Vandenbergh. Michel Kranzen co-founded the Red Wolves years ago with Yérime Sylla and was even T2 for a time. Jonathan Vandenbergh can look back on a successful playing career and subsequently made the move to the technical department where he and Michel set the sporting lines.
Day two of the final preparations in Belgium, and today too we are working hard ahead of the first World Cup match this Friday.
Also today, we introduce players to you, the Right wings. Pierre Brixhe plays at HC Visé BM. The young Red Wolve stuck his nose to the window for the first time during the World Cup qualifying campaign. His eagerness and hard shot typify him. Ilias D’Hanis is one of three players of the selection formed in the club of Waasmunster. He played for several BENE-League teams like Handbal Tongeren and Hubo Initia Hasselt and now being the right wing of Sezoens Achilles Bocholt.
The Red Wolves were unable to stunt against host Poland in Katowice on Friday night. Halfway through the match, the score was 9 – 12 in Poland’s favour. In the beginning of the match, the Belgians weren’t alert enough. Afterwards, defending improved and coach Sylla switched to his recipe for success with 7 players without a goalkeeper.
In the second half, the Belgians struggled against a physically stronger opponent with many substitution options. Towards the end of the match, three games in as many days started to weigh on.
With two wins and one defeat, the Red Wolves can look back on a successful preparation tournament. Saturday they return home, Sunday they have a day off and from Monday the final straight towards Malmö will start at Elewijtcenter.
