Handball-EM
Denmark makes a mistake: DHB team is now playing against Portugal
Top favorite Denmark surprisingly lost to Portugal at the European Handball Championships. This also changes the German team’s first opponent in the main round.
European Championship shock for top favorite Denmark: The world champion and Olympic champion suffered a surprising 29:31 (11:12) defeat against Portugal at the end of the preliminary round. Thanks to their success, the fourth place in the World Cup secured victory in Group B and is now the first opponent of the German handball players in the main round.
The DHB selection can therefore take revenge on Thursday at the start of the second phase of the tournament for the bitter defeat in the 2025 World Cup quarter-finals. With the score 30:31 after extra time, Germany had lost its chance of winning a medal.
Germany only against Portugal at the European Handball Championships
The other German opponents in the main round are Norway on Saturday, Denmark on Monday and finally defending champion France on Wednesday next week. Like the DHB team and Portugal, the French took 2-0 points from the preliminary round.
In front of 15,000 spectators in the sold-out Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, the European Championship host around world handball player Mathias Gidsel from Füchse Berlin had more trouble than expected from the start against Portugal. The southern Europeans posed significant problems for the Danes, who had to do without their seriously injured pivot Lukas Jörgensen (torn cruciate ligament) from Bundesliga club SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
Five minutes before the break, Portugal led by three goals for the first time at 12:9. Even after the change, it remained a close and competitive match in which the favorite showed unusual weaknesses in finishing. In the end, even eight goals from Gidsel were not enough to avert the unexpected defeat.
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