Portugal shock Denmark to take top spot in group B

GROUP B

Denmark vs Portugal 29:31 (11:12)

H2H: 7-0-1
Top scorers: Mathias Gidsel 8/12 (DEN); Francisco Costa 9/15, Martim Costa 9/11 (POR)
Goalkeeper saves: Emil Nielsen 10/35, Kevin Møller 1/6 (DEN); Gustavo Capdeville 7/26, Pedro Tonicher 3/13 (POR)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Simon Pytlick (DEN)

• Paulo Pereira’s squad limited Denmark to only 11 goals scored in the first half — their lowest half-time goal tally since scoring nine against Czechia in the EHF EURO 2024 preliminary round
• Emil Nielsen and Gustavo Capdeville made six saves each in the first half with the former's efficiency (37 per cent) being a bit better than the latter's (35 per cent)
• Emil Jakobsen and Magnus Landin missed a couple of penalty shots in the opening 30 minutes and only scored once from the seven-metre line
• line player Victor Iturizza received a direct red card in the 54th minute for a dangerous foul and missed the crucial minutes of the match
• despite Mathias Gidsel and Simon Pytlick man-marking the Costa brothers in the last couple of minutes of the match, Martim managed to score Portugal's final goal
• António Areia scored crucial goals (six overall) for Portugal in the final minutes and moved past Ricardo Costa in Portugal's all-time goalscoring EHF EURO list to fourth place behind Ricardo's son, Martim

Portugal break Denmark's incredible run in Herning

The last time these two sides met was in the 2025 IHF World Championship semi-final, when Denmark took a big 40:27 win in Norway before going to claim the world title for a record fourth time.

That result was put into the past on Tuesday. The fired-up Portuguese caught the co-hosts by surprise in the first half, as Victor Iturizza and Salvador Salvador built a wall in the heart of the defence. Portugal held their lead throughout the opening 30 minutes and were even up by three goals (9:12) before Mads Hoxer and Simon Pytlick settled the half-time score.

A different Denmark appeared on the court after the break, as Nikolaj Jacobsen's squad upped the intensity and successfully mounted an early comeback, but the Heróis do Mar never gave up and despite all the pressure from the stands, prevailed in the end by displaying quality and character to defeat the reigning Olympic and world champions.

It is only the second time in history that Denmark have lost at the Jyske Bank Boxen. Their previous record in Denmark’s largest indoor arena was one loss, one defeat and 25 wins.

Photos © kolektiff images