Denmark take momentous win over Germany

EHF EURO Cup 2024

Denmark vs Germany 31:23 (16:11)

It was Denmark’s first match since they became the first ever three-in-a-row world champions in January, but the team that took to the court had several changes, with leading stars absent and four players making their national side debut: goalkeeper Simon Gade, centre back Thomas Arnoldsen, right wing Oskar Vind Rasmussen and left wing Emil Bergholt. Arnoldsen and Rasmussen both scored their first goals in the opening half — in fact, Rasmussen scored the first of the match. And from there, Denmark led the game.

Just 13 minutes in, Denmark hit double digits on the score board, 10:5. The team were spurred on by a big game from Emil Nielsen in goal, as he made seven saves at a rate of 41 per cent in the first 30 minutes and finished with 12. In Germany’s goal, Andreas Wolff matched Nielsen’s seven saves in the first period, but the ratio of shots saved was lower.

When Denmark held a five-goal lead at the break and then hit a 20:13 lead in the 37^th minute, showing no sign of allowing Germany to close in on the score board, it was clear all the momentum was with the home side and the points at stake were likely to stay in Scandinavia. Ultimately, Denmark proved unstoppable as they handed Germany their third straight defeat in the EHF EURO Cup 2024