The German handball players are only one game away from a possible gold medal at the European Handball Championship. In the final this Sunday from 6 p.m., national coach Alfred Gíslason’s selection will face the top favorites Denmark. For the German Handball Federation (DHB) team, it would be the third European Championship title after 2004 and 2016. The Danes, on the other hand, want to become European champions for the first time since 2012 after four World Cup titles in a row and the Olympic victory in 2024.
The German team clearly has respect for their opponents before the final. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff spoke of a “superteam”, Rune Dahmke of the “best team in the world” and Nils Lichtlein of the “actually invincibles”.
However, the Danes do not have good memories of Herning as a European Championship final location. They also had a home game there in the final of the 2014 European Handball Championship. They lost this clearly with 32:41 against France.
“If they want to beat us once, it will be on Sunday”
Denmark’s national handball coach Nikolaj Jacobsen sees his team under pressure despite being clear favorites – also because of injury-related absences: “If we took away five pivots from the Germans, they would also have some challenges,” said the former Bundesliga coach. About the German team, he added: “If they want to beat us once, then they should try to do it on Sunday.”
Lukas Jørgensen and Emil Bergholt were already unavailable for the Danes during the tournament, while Andreas Magaard and Frederik Ladefoged from the extended squad are also not available for action. In the European Championship semi-final against Iceland (31:28) Simon Hald was also eliminated with a hit in the face. The former Flensburg player was still in the hospital on Saturday and his use is questionable. “Of course I would have gone in with a different gut feeling if we didn’t have so many injuries,” said Jacobsen.
Despite all the tension, Denmark’s coach wants to give his players a sense of ease; his team hasn’t lost a competitive game against Germany in ten years. “The pressure is only positive,” he said. “These boys don’t have to prove anything, they’ve won almost everything and are supposed to just have fun. That’s the important thing. That’s why we started playing handball.”
“The body is tired – but one game is still possible”
The Danish world handball player Mathias Gidsel is currently the tournament’s outstanding top scorer with 61 goals from eight games. In the final, he could surpass Norwegian Sander Sagosen’s European Championship goals record from 2020 with 65 goals. Before the final, the Dane said: “Sure, the body is tired, but one game is still possible. When you go into the hall and feel the energy of 15,000 people, it pushes you forward.”
Gidsel continued that his team knew that it was a difficult task. “It would mean a lot to finally win this European Championship. Here at home in this setting it is of course a huge opportunity for us.”
According to Gidsel, the Danish main round victory over Germany last Monday (31:26) plays no more of a role in the final than does the sweeping victory at the 2024 Olympic Games (39:26). “It’s a completely different game,” said the world handball player. Germany has taken two steps forward in the past year and a half. “We have enormous respect for the task.”
The Chancellor has announced his presence in the final
The DHB team also receives support from many celebrities: FC Bayern Munich’s soccer goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, said after the Bundesliga game at Hamburger SV on Saturday evening: “I watched a lot of handball, I’m definitely keeping my fingers crossed for the Germans that we finally win against Denmark.”
“Everyone here in handball Germany is keeping their fingers crossed. We in front of the screen are giving everything, and so are the German fans in the hall in Denmark,” said the 39-year-old. “We definitely deserve it and I think the team is also very, very strong.”
After the German team reached the final, there were also congratulations from Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, among others. The Chancellor announced that he would be traveling to the final: “I’m looking forward to the final on Sunday in the hall,” he said on social networks on Friday.
Warning strikes prevent handball players from being welcomed on Monday
Since at least the European Championship silver medal is certain for the German team, the DHB had, according to information from the dpa news agency, considered a reception for the handball players in Hanover or Cologne. However, the expected restrictions on local public transport due to a nationwide warning strike prevent this: “The German Handball Association had to stop plans for a big reception at home on Friday,” said the DHB.
Instead, the selection of national coach Alfred Gíslason will be honored at the international match in the spring. “We are already planning a thank you for our fans around our national team’s next home international game on March 19th in Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle,” said DHB board chairman Mark Schober. Then the German team meets Egypt.
