For a long time it looked as if Denmark had the better end of a high-class and intense final of the European Handball Championship, but in the end the experienced French cheered again.
France won on Sunday evening (January 28, 2024) with 33:31 (27:27, 14:14) after extra time and was happy about their first European championship title since 2014. In the game for third place, Sweden beat Germany 34:31 in the afternoon (18:12) enforced. In the semifinals, France initially looked like a loser against Sweden, but then won in extra time.
High intensity game – like a Heavyweight fight in boxing
As soon as the game started, an outstanding handball game developed with extremely high intensity, physicality and a lot of speed. No team could really break away. The French led 6-4 after just over ten minutes because the Danes lost one or two of the balls too much. But then their goalkeeper Emil Nielsen really turned it up, didn’t concede a goal for five minutes and his colleagues turned the game around – 6:9.
It wasn’t until the 18th minute that France goalkeeper Samir Bellahcene saved his first ball – and at exactly the right time, as it seemed to give his defense a real boost. France now acted more poisonously again, didn’t let as many balls through to the circle and five minutes before half-time, Nedim Remili put France back in the lead with a counterattack – 11:10. The game now resembled a heavyweight boxing fight: both teams exchanged heavy blows – on the one hand, Elohim Prandi fired a forceful throw from the backcourt into the Danish goal at 125 km/h, on the other hand, Simon Pytlick fired back at 122 km/h . France had a little more physicality, the Danes had more speed and a brilliant keeper – the score was 14:14 going into the half-time break.
Thomas Koos, Sportschau, January 28, 2024 8:46 p.m
Gidsel keeps fueling herself up
The Danes got off to a better start in the second half. Mathias Gidsel scored his fifth goal with his fifth throw of the evening and the world champions were ahead 17:14 after 35 minutes. Goalkeeper Nielsen was still outstanding in the game and visibly unnerved the French; hardly a ball from the backcourt went into the Danish goal during this phase. France changed its approach and now found the circles or outside players in the majority and thus remained in close contact. The score was 17:18 in the 41st minute. But Guillaume Gille’s team didn’t manage to equalize for a long time, led by the extremely strong Gidsel.Danish Dynamite“There were always gaps in France’s defense and got seven meters or goals.
At 23:23 the time had come – the equalizer: Ludovic Fabregas fueled his way through the circle and a final phase worthy of a final loomed. Denmark coach Nikolaj Jacobsen reacted and brought Niklas Landin into the goal because Nielsen had recently been unable to get his hand on the ball against France’s violent throws. At first it had no effect: the experienced French took the lead 25:24 with a good five minutes left thanks to a seven-meter penalty from Kentin Mahé.
Fabregas makes the extension clear
Jacobsen took a timeout, Mikkel Hansen scored with a force throw to equalize and then Landin was there to defuse a French counterattack. The spectators in the Cologne Arena could barely keep their seats – it was an outstanding and exciting finale. And if nothing worked, then Hansen did it: in the first half from the field with no luck in throwing, he nailed the next ball into the net from a standing position – 25:26, Denmark back on the winning road. But France came back again and actually saved themselves into extra time with a goal from the strong pivot Fabregas to make it 27:27.
And, oh wonder, it remained intense, exciting and balanced there too. After the first five minutes of extra time the score was 29:29. And as so often, the French then took revenge for an opponent who had left them in the game and never moved away. Dika Mem scored two goals to make it 31:29, and Denmark was unable to equalize.
The best throwers were Fabregas with eight hits and Mikkel Hansen, who only scored two field goals but had seven penalty throws in the goal. Gidsel also scored eight goals from eight attempts.