Men's EHF EURO 2026 post-match flash quotes: 22 January
HERNING – Comments from players and coaches after matches in Men's EHF EURO 2026 main round group I on Thursday.
SPAIN vs NORWAY 34:34 (16:16)
Jordi Ribera (ESP) – Spain head coach
On the match:
“Today is one day very sad, but I think that my team plays a very good match, and is not looking the last 10 minutes, and especially in the last play when there are six against four in Norway.
“I think my team has a very good match, 60 minutes in defence and attack, but there was one moment and two goals and possibly three goals ahead (where) it’s not possible. Norway is very good control after (being) two goals up, and in the seven-six for us it’s not possible to recover one ball.
“The final (result) is not very good for us, for the heads of my players in this competition. Now with zero points in the first match in the main round it’s not a very good future.
“There are 48 hours to recover the head and the spirit for the team and prepare the match against Denmark. It’s possible to improve.”
Kauldi Odriozola (ESP) - right wing
On his feeling after the defeat:
“It is really frustrating to lose this game, because we made it through to the main round with zero point, and we wanted the two points. I have the feeling we did everything right until the 50th minute, we had balls to be three goals ahead, but we did not convert them. And then, things changed, and they found solutions playing seven against six.”
On whether he thinks Spain deserved a better fate:
“At least a draw, I think, because we were ahead during a long time, and to end up empty-handed like that is tough. We are not rewarded for what we did. I really think we had a great game, but we did not convert the balls to kill the game. And at the end, it got back at us. We have to learn from this, move on and try our best in the next game.”
On the balls they did not convert:
“We played very well for 50 minutes, and the seven against six, we were not able to do anything against it. The last 10 minutes were not convincing on our side, we were not able to find a proper solution on the last action either. It hurts because now, the path to the semi-final seems more complicated.”
Jonas Wille (NOR) – Norway head coach
On the match:
“It was a really tough and even game. I’m really proud of my team, the fighting spirit, the energy, the team spirit.
“Of course we have to give credit to Spain today; the luck was on our side, but we really appreciate this win. It’s good for our team.”
On the rest of the main round:
“It will be tough matches all the way. We were prepared for that, so it’s so nice to get a victory so we know we have that in our bag, two points. We are going to continue to have this offensive mentality and keep on having the same energy.”
Kevin Gulliksen (NOR) - right wing
On the victory:
“It’s quite unbelievable, it was a really tough game against a great team that did a great job to cause us problems. We had to battle through the 60 minutes of the game, we had to play better defensively and offensively in the last 10 minutes to turn things around. I am really proud of what we did.”
On not letting their heads down while Spain were two goals ahead:
“This is what we are prepared for, this is what we do. We tried to focus just on the next action, not really thinking about anything else than to score the next goal and not take the next Spanish action. It worked to do things like this, just coming back into the game, little by little.”
On how he felt when the referees went to check the video on the last action:
“It was quite long, but it’s always hard when they go to check the video. I had the feeling we had done everything right, that the defence was OK but when they go to check on the screen, then you are scared they are going to change the decision. We were all really nervous, but when they said the game was over, it was unbelievable. Lots of emotions, maybe even more with the scenario of the game.”
On the importance of the two points for Norway:
“We would probably have been eliminated of the main round if we had lost tonight, so of course we are really happy that our chances are still alive. This main round is crazy, all of the teams are good teams so every game, every point is important. It was key for us to win, to keep our team spirit alive and to keep our momentum.”
GERMANY vs PORTUGAL 32:30 (11:11)
Alfred Gislason (ISL) – Germany head coach
On the match:
“It was a really defensive game for both teams, and especially in the first half both teams were making too many errors, technical errors, so it was quite a low points scoring in the first half.
“In the second half I think we deserve to win the game because our defence was very well and we were playing a lot better in attack than in the first half, getting goals from the back court, what we didn’t have in the first half.
“Andi Wolff was of course as always fantastic in goal, so we managed to win this game, which was very hard because Portugal is today a great team.”
Johannes Golla (GER) – line player
On the match:
“The first half was very mixed; we didn’t really get into the game, made a lot of technical mistakes and missed several shots. We can thank Andi (Wolff), and we were fortunate that the Portuguese didn’t have one of their best days, so we went into the break with a draw.
“In the second half it was a battle for every single goal. We can be very pleased with the performances of Miro (Schluroff), Renars (Uščins) and Nils (Lichtlein), who all played very well. On top of that, we have a deep squad with a lot of quality. It was tight right until the end, but it was a deserved victory.”
On his red card:
“Firstly, I trusted the others to see the win through, and secondly, it was frustrating. Nobody intends to hit an opponent in the face; it wasn’t an extremely hard contact. But once the video review was called, you could more or less anticipate the decision. There’s no point in overthinking it or arguing about it. The boys managed to bring it home successfully.”
On the next opponents, Norway:
“I haven’t seen much of Norway yet, but I have the impression that they are in better shape than at recent tournaments, where they fell short of their own expectations. They’ve played well now, and it will be an evenly matched game. We’ll need to start better than we did against Portugal so that we don’t have to rely on Andi (Wolff) until the very end. I’m expecting a close match.”
Paulo Pereira (POR) – Portugal head coach
On the defeat:
“It’s a physical question. It’s not an excuse, but it’s reality. Because of the schedule, Germany they had more than one day if we compare to our recovery. I think this helped them a little bit in this game.”
On missing suspended line player Victor Iturizza:
“This fact allowed us to use Gabriel Cavalcanti in the middle, and we saw in the problem an opportunity. I think for the rest of the championship we want one more player to go in the middle of defence.
“I am very happy for him and for us, because it helps us. We must correct some details, but he’s very happy.”
On the match:
“In general I think we play more or less good, but (Andreas) Wolff is Wolff, and I think it was really a big cause, if we must explain the defeat.
“We will continue fighting. We played against Germany, it’s not an easy team, so we keep fighting to see if we have some opportunity to continue a bit more.”
Martim Costa (POR) – left back
On the match:
“I am proud of my team. Our line player (Victor Iturizza) did not play this match, I can’t understand this decision, why he was out. But it is how it is. We were a bit tired in our legs in the first half.
“Today’s difference was (Andreas) Wolff, who saved so many shots. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, so our efficiency was very low. We showed an amazing game, but in the last two days some strange things happened, which I don’t understand. But it is not my job to talk about this. We don’t have to say any excuses for the defeat.”
On the next opponents, France:
“Right now, we are tired and need to recover. Against France, we have to do our job in defence, get many chances in attack. But mainly we need to defend like in the first half against Germany and the whole match against Denmark. We want to win and we will do everything. France are one of the best teams in the world, with a lot of speed, counterattacks and a strong defence. It will be a match with high speed.”
Photo © kolektiff images
