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.
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 again, but missed the possible draw in the last attack: due to an at least controversial circle-off decision by the referees, the last Swedish goal was canceled seconds before the final whistle.
Norway has the upper hand against the Netherlands
The Norwegians won 35:32 (16:18) against the Dutch in a close game early on Friday evening. The game was on equal terms throughout the entire game, but the Norwegians were able to pull away from 21:21 to 26:22 in a spurt in the second round. Oranje were unable to make up for this deficit in a high-scoring encounter.
The defenses didn’t have their best day on either side and the goalkeepers didn’t put in a great performance either, unlike many other games in the tournament. The Norwegians had four players score six times, including superstar Sander Sagosen. Rutger ten Velde scored eight goals for the Dutch, four of them from the seven-meter spot.
For Norway, success means the first two points in the main round and staying in the race for the semi-finals. With two defeats now under their belt, the brave Dutch have little chance of making it to the last four despite another strong attacking performance.
Costa Gala for Portugal against Slovenia
Things are completely different with the Portuguese. Thanks to the 33:30 (18:17) win over Slovenia, the Iberians can continue to dream of a big coup with a score of four points. The outstanding man was Martim Costa. The 21-year-old scored eleven goals and was unstoppable by the Slovenians.
But the Slovenians also thwarted their own plans: three different players tried from the seven-meter point against the Portuguese keepers and each failed once. Only Borut Mackovsek, who was also the best Slovenian shooter with seven goals, was able to get at least one of his two attempts into the goal. It was the second defeat in the tournament for the Slovenians and their chances of reaching the semi-finals are dwindling.
On Sunday, the Portuguese will challenge Sweden on the penultimate matchday of the group, while Denmark will face Norway.