Budapest (dpa) – World champion Denmark has reached the semi-finals of the European Handball Championship as the first team. The team of former Bundesliga trainer Nikolaj Jacobsen confidently beat the Netherlands in Budapest by 35:23 (21:12).
The best thrower for the Danes was again future Berlin professional Mathias Gidsel with nine goals. For the Dutch, who no longer have a chance of reaching the knockout round, Dani Baijens from second division club ASV Hamm-Westfalen was the most successful with six goals.
Like Denmark, Olympic champions France are also on course for the semi-finals. The French easily defeated Montenegro 36:27 (16:12). Her best pitcher was Dika Mem with seven hits. In the final main round game on Wednesday against the Danes, a draw is enough for the French to make it through to the semi-finals.
In the same group, Iceland had previously missed making a big step towards the knockout rounds. After the Icelanders surprisingly beat France 29:21 on Saturday, they lost to the already eliminated Croatians with 22:23 (12:10). To make it to the semi-finals, Iceland must now win their last main round match against Montenegro and hope for Denmark’s victory over France.