World champion Denmark did not let defending champion Sweden stop them on their way to the semi-finals of the European Handball Championship in Germany.
The tournament favorite with the exceptional players Mikkel Hansen and Mathias Gidsel prevailed against their arch rivals in Hamburg with 28:27 (17:15). With 6:0 points, Denmark is ahead of Sweden (4:2) and Portugal (4:2) in the Group II table.
Hansen (36) led his team to a prestigious victory in front of the numerous fans who had made the short journey from home. The former world handball player scored five goals, Gidsel from Füchse Berlin, as the most successful player in the game, even contributed ten goals to Denmark’s fifth victory in the tournament, which was once again in danger despite a high lead in the final phase.
Things got exciting again in the last minute of the game when the referee team upheld the Swedish protest after minutes of discussion and had a Danish goal taken back. However, the equalizer was no longer achieved.
Portugal maintains semi-final chances
The ambitious Swedes, who also went into the duel with their neighbors with four wins, held on until the score was 12:12 in the first half. Before the break, however, the team around former Flensburg player Hampus Wanne (nine goals) had to let go. Shortly before the end, the European champion fought back, but missed the possible draw in the last attack.
Portugal had previously won against Slovenia 33:30 (18:17) and thus preserved their chances of reaching the semi-finals. On Sunday, the Portuguese will challenge Sweden on the penultimate matchday of the group, while Denmark will face Norway.
The two-time World Cup runner-up scored their first points in the main round with a 35:32 (16:18) win against the Netherlands, but the semi-finals were a long way off due to the defeat against Portugal on Wednesday. The team led by former Kiel player Sander Sagosen surprisingly lost to Slovenia in the preliminary round.