By Nikolaj Jacobsen, the handball players’ coach Denmarka quote from 2023 has been handed down, according to which the seemingly never-ending source of exceptional talent in his homeland will almost guarantee a Danish winning streak until at least 2030. Young backcourt stars like Mathias Gidsel and Simon Pytlick would soon be joined by even younger players like Thomas Arnoldsen. “We really don’t have to worry too much,” Jacobsen said at the time, laughing happily.
In fact, his prophecy came true on Sunday evening. Once again. The Danes won their home European Championship with a 34:27 (18:16) victory against Germany, thanks to, among others, 24-year-old Arnoldsen (five goals). This means that the Danes are the reigning European champions, world champions and Olympic champions – this rare title triple was previously only achieved by the French during the time of the great Nikola Karabatić. But according to the coach of the Danish superheroes, this victory was very hard-fought. “It was a tough match,” said Jacobsen after the final. He looked, well, even a little exhausted.
Every now and then, national coach Alfred Gíslason’s team silenced the fanatical Danish audience in Herning. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff was primarily responsible for this, as he unnerved the Danes in the second half with some absurd saves. Mainly because Wolff had fended off 15 balls, the Germans were only two goals behind five minutes before the final whistle. A sensation was still possible.
The reason why the German run didn’t continue in this final was due to a few missing stones in the multi-stone mosaic that modern competitive handball represents.
On the one hand, the defense, which had demonstrated the art of destruction in the semi-final against Croatia, had been broken through too often by the Danes. The world handball player Gidsel set a new record for the European Championships with 68 tournament goals, but in the final he often crashed into the German defense and only hit every second throw. This time it was above all Simon Pytlick, the left winger from SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who made a decisive contribution with eight goals.
The Germans’ defensive concrete had already crumbled early in the morning when Justus Fischer, who had excelled in the semi-final against Croatia, had to withdraw with a gastrointestinal infection. “Fischer’s loss hit us hard,” complained Gíslason. The German team suffered their next setback in the 13th minute when defensive specialist Tom Kiesler had to leave the field with a red card for a hard foul on Gidsel.
What the national coach has to find an answer to
On the other hand, the German team was unable to keep up with the Danish offensive over the long term. This attacked the German defense with the mechanical force of a jackhammer. The German attackers mostly failed to find suitable solutions to overcome Denmark’s advanced defensive position. They kept running into each other. If the German backcourt shooters didn’t get the ball to the pivot Johannes Golla, who, like Wolff, was in the all-star team European Championship was chosen, they mostly threw from the long-distance throwing zone. Julian Köster from Gummersbach initially impressed with powerful throws from the backcourt. In the final phase, 22-year-old Marko Grgić followed suit. But in the long run, throws from a distance are not as likely to be successful as throws from a few meters.
The strong duels from Denmark stood an average of 1.5 meters closer to the goal in the final – they are following the dogma of breakthroughs with which SC Magdeburg has revolutionized club handball since 2021. National coach Alfred Gíslason must find an answer to this tactical disadvantage for the next tournament. The World Cup will take place in Germany in 2027.
Regardless of this, Gíslason was able to draw a consistently positive conclusion. His young team had “grown a lot in this tournament,” said the 66-year-old Icelander, who came under media fire after the preliminary round defeat against Serbia, but will now definitely continue until the 2027 World Cup. In fact, the team, which with an average age of 26 is younger than the other top teams from Denmark (27.8) and France (28.0), was surprisingly resilient. Especially with the victories against Spain and France, which prevented an early exit from the tournament, the German team demonstrated a strong nerve that was not always present in previous years.
Wolff, the most experienced professional in the team at 34 years old, whose emotions had run high during the game, also cooled down quickly after the final whistle. “I am very proud of the team,” said the THW Kiel goalkeeper. The confidence in a repeat of the “winter fairy tale” of 2007, when the German handball players last won a World Cup under Heiner Brand, has not only grown with this tournament at Wolff.
Others like Marko Grgić were also looking forward to this major event in their own country with shining eyes in Herning – especially since their performances in Denmark triggered a run on the tickets. Danish coach Nikolaj Jacobsen also suspects that the World Cup in Germany will further reduce the gap to his Super Danes. He agrees with Gíslason’s announcement that this young German team will always be competing for medals in the coming years. Germany can always be expected to make the semi-finals in the coming years.
And at some point, said the Danish coach, the Germans would also break the final curse (Denmark also won the 2024 Olympic final against Germany 39:26). “Then they will start to win a final. That will happen,” he said. And added with a smile: “But I hope it won’t be in my time.”
