The magic in the numbers: KINEXON insights for Men’s EHF EURO 2024

Looking through the vast amounts of data we’ve gathered until the end of the tournament, we can analyse different types of statistics, such as the number of passes or sprints, distance covered, save and goal efficiency, playing time and more others. Let’s start by taking a look at how the best players in the competition stood out.

All-star Team players shining bright

Eight players from six different nations were featured in the All-star Team of the tournament, each one of them having significant contributions for their squads. With 1,383 passes in total and the most assists (53), the MVP and European champion Nedim Remili proved to be an important asset for the French. Only two other All-star Team players managed to exceed 1,000 passes, namely the German centre back Juri Knorr (1,358) and Danish right back Mathias Gidsel (1,261).

The 24-year-old Danish player is at his second consecutive award at the EHF EURO, and rightfully so, as he also stands out among his All-star teammates in other three categories. On average, Gidsel spent a little over 54 minutes on court (54:19), while also covering 32.83 kilometers in total. He managed to do this with an impressive speed as well, reaching a maximum velocity of 29.20 km/h.

In attack, All-star left back Martim Costa managed the same number of goals as Mathias Gidsel (54), but with lower efficiency - 66.7 per cent, compared to the Danish player’s 81.8 per cent. However, Ludovic Fabregas is by far the most efficient offensive player, managing to find the net in 88 per cent of the shots. 

In case you’re wondering who was the most efficient goalkeeper at this year’s edition, there’s probably no surprise that Andreas Wolff tops the charts. The German superstar blocked 92 shots (34 per cent efficiency), nine more than Austria’s Constantin Möstl (81 saves, 35.4 per cent efficiency). Third-placed Emil Nielsen managed 78 saves in total, but has the highest efficiency among all the goalkeepers (39.8 per cent).

Title contenders clash in statistics

More than one week has passed since the competition ended, but the final between Denmark and France will definitely remain in the history books. Both nations had outstanding performances throughout the tournament, as well as in the final match. Let’s take a look at some of the most remarkable statistics.

Recently crowned champions France scored 306 times overall, but in terms of efficiency Demark made an impression after scoring in 68.5 per cent of the shots (281 goals). Interestingly, the same situation can be noticed in data from the final match too.

Although the French team scored 33 times (57 per cent) after additional time to grab the title, Denmark’s attack proved to be the most efficient (63 per cent), in part due to Mikkel Hansen’s nine goals and Mathias Gidsel’s flawless performance (eight goals out of just as many shots). 

Defence is key when it comes to decisive matches and Emil Nielsen rose to the occasion and blocked 15 goal attempts of the French, which got him the Grundfos Player of the Match award. Unfortunately for Denmark, this wasn’t enough to grab the gold medal, as France managed to compensate in other areas.

The number of passes might be an important indicator of the French success, as good teamwork can make a difference on the court. A total of 853 passes were exchanged among the French players in the final, which might explain why they also had possession of the ball the longest (for 35 minutes) and how they managed to cover more distance (35.03 kilometers). The wings were the most hardworking players in this regard, as right wing Yanis Lenne and left wing Dylan Nahi both covered more than five kilometers. 

When it comes to speed, Dylan Nahi impressed once again by reaching 30.64 km/h in the game against Denmark, a bit below his best performance in 2024 (31.57 km/h). However, Industria Kielce’s player didn’t manage to tie his previous speed at the EHF EURO 2022: 32 km/h. 

What makes a handball legend?

The record-breaking 2024 edition of the Men’s EHF EURO is undoubtedly one to remember, but has a special place in the hearts of two handball legends that took the stage of the European championship one last time: Andy Schmid and Nikola Karabatic. 

The Swiss player didn’t get to participate in 2022, so this year’s edition was his chance to help his nation for the final time. Schmid played three games for Switzerland in 2020 and the same in 2024.

Overall, the data shows that Schmid had a greater involvement in 2020, then at 36 years old, compared to the most recent tournament. However, his importance for the Swiss team this year can’t be overlooked, as the centre back had a total of two hours and 18 minutes of playing time, having the ball in his possession for 26 minutes. At his participation in the 2020 edition, he spent more time on court (two hours and 47 minutes), which gave him the opportunity to keep the ball in his possession for longer (31 minutes). 

In comparison to the previous EHF EURO participation, Andy Schmid showed his strength on the court by recording more sprints in 2024 (36) and more jumps (55).

Nikola Karabatic played 19 games in total for France at the last three editions of the EHF EURO. In 2020 the French centre back only made an appearance in three games, compared to eight matches played in each of the following editions.

In consequence, his most impressive performance was in 2022, when he spent over five hours on court and covered a total of 26.88 kilometers in the eight matches played. At this farewell EURO tournament, however, Karabatic played for four hours and a half, covering one kilometer less than in his previous participation (25.81). His experience shows, as the 39-year-old French player exchanged 620 passes with his colleagues, managing to provide 22 assists.

More insights into the Men’s EHF EURO 2024

Based on the KINEXON data, other numbers drew our attention and should be mentioned here.

Handball players can reach spectacular speeds with their shots, and this edition wasn’t an exception. Serbian right wing Bogdan Radivojevic recorded the fastest shot of the competition with 129.5 km/h, followed very closely by Poland’s playmaker Michal Olejniczak (129.4 km/h). Even so, none of the participants managed to get close to Stanislav Kasparek’s record in 2020, when the right back sent a shot with 139.76 km/h.

Teams need to make the most out of every scoring opportunity they have in a match and seven-metre shots can influence the outcome of a match. Danish legend Mikkel Hansen is the man in charge when it comes to this, having scored 26 times in the entire competition from penalty shots. However, the best efficiency was recorded by Austria’s Robert Weber, getting very close to being unstoppable from the seven-metre line (93.8 per cent efficiency).

Photos © Kolektiff Image