Men's EHF EURO 2026 flash quotes: 23 January

HERNING – Comments from players and coaches at media calls for Men's EHF EURO 2026 main round group I.

NORWAY

Robin Haug (NOR) – goalkeeper

On the crucial moments in the win against Spain:

“The key for us was to stay focused and disciplined for the whole game and keeping our nerves under control. We stayed calm, when we were down three, four goals. In the end, we win, because we did not lose ourselves in the tough situations.”

On the keys against Germany in their second match:

“We need to bring our confidence and our positiveness into the game. This match is super-important for both teams, and I am sure it will be decided only in the last minutes.”

On whether he can help the coach, as he plays for German club HSV Hamburg:

“I know about the individual qualities of the German players, but I cannot help so much with their overall tactics.”

On the cooperation with Torbjørn Bergerud:

“So far Torbjørn has done such a great job, so my role is to be the number 2. Then I am ready when I get my time to help the team in the best possible way.”

Martin Hovde (NOR) – line player

On the crazy match against Spain:

“The fast breaks were really important, as we scored a lot of goals and the mentality in this close game was crucial. We showed many great individual skills and team spirit.

On the number of Norwegian goals against Germany after scoring 34 against France and 35 against Spain:

“We have a good defence, therefore we can expect many fastbreaks. It think we can score at least 30, maybe 35 goals, if we run enough.”

On their confidence for the match against Germany:

“It is very good right now. We build up the confidence in the group matches. Everything can happen in this group now, every team can beat the other like Portugal against Denmark or us against Spain. Four teams are on two points, our confidence is high, so we see. Maybe we can become the surprise pack in this group.”

DENMARK

Kevin Møller (DEN) – goalkeeper

On the victory against France in his 100th international match:

“There’s no better feeling than this. Playing your 100th match is incredible in itself, I would never have imagined that when I started my career. A dream has come true. The game against France was extremely tight, and then to win in your jubilee match — it really doesn’t get any better, except perhaps in a final. We were only sure we’d won in the final minute, not before. With a bit of bad luck, we might have ended up with just one point.”

On their defence:

“I’m incredibly proud of how we defended. I haven’t seen us play defence like that for a long time.”

On the pressure in the main round:

“It was and still is enormous, but the greatest pressure comes from ourselves. We have very high expectations of ourselves. No one from the outside can influence that. It all comes from within.”

On the next opponents, Spain:

“In this main round, anything can happen. Spain always have a few things they do extremely well. They’ve been a top nation in handball for many years and are almost always playing in semi-finals or even finals. That’s why I think the match will be just as close as yesterday’s.”

On his relationship with Emil Nielsen:

“As long as we’re winning, there’s no problem. Seriously though, Emil and I work very well together. We know our roles and what we need to do. I know when I have to support him and when I’m needed — and otherwise he’s also 100 per cent there for me.”

Emil Nielsen (DEN) – goalkeeper

On beating France and becoming Player of the Match:

“The win was definitely more important for us and for me than becoming Player of the Match. We had put ourselves in the situation to win every single game. This was like the first step, tomorrow we have to do it again, I hope.”

On the crucial moments in the last minutes of the match:

“There was a fight between Lasse Andersson and Melvyn Richardson, when we got the rebound and scored an easy goal by fast break. This moment was crucial for us, as it started the momentum we needed.”

On whether the pressure is lower now:

“The pressure is still the same. We have hopefully five finals still ahead of us. We won against the best team of this tournament beside us, France, but the pressure is still there, as we have to think about tomorrow.”

On Spain, their next opponents:

“Spain is always dangerous no matter the constellation in the ranking. Games against Spain are always close, they are great in deciding and changing the pace of the game. This is our focus for the match to control the pace and the game.”

On if he helps coach Nikolaj Jacobsen, as he plays in Spain for Barça:

“Nico has the match plan already. He is a great coach and he knows what he is doing. We have our roles: my role is to save balls, his role is to set up the game plan.”

On the cooperation with Kevin Møller:

“Kevin is for me the best teammate in the world, on and outside the court. He is the most supportive guy and the most important person in the team for me. We are sitting down and have a plan for every single game. He is a great goalkeeper, really supportive and he deserves all the best.”

FRANCE

Guillaume Gille (FRA) – France head coach

On what he takes from the game on Thursday:

“The night was a short one, but I still feel like we missed something great. If you look at the stats, after 50 minutes, they had only scored 22 goals, which tells you how good our game was. And then we took 10 goals in 10 minutes and even if we scored, it was a Danish highlight. I don’t think we can point to an area of the game to explain how they took the momentum. This is the kind of game that leaves scars, either physically or mentally.”

On switching to the next game:

“It is always the case. If we had won against Denmark, we would have switched as well. I guess that the teams which perform during these competitions are the ones which are the most able to switch from one game to the other, no matter whether they win or lose.

“We have to repeat high-level performances in a context that is not easy, always against great teams. There is this idea that, since the main round, was implemented, you can lose a game and not be out. But we have to take the points now, to move forward.”

On Portugal not being an outsider:

“When a team is able to beat Denmark on their home court, you can’t say it is an outsider. They are playing on the same level as the best nations, even though they are quite a new team. Their development was recent, they do not have a medal yet, but judging on their players’ quality, on the way they play, they are not outsiders anymore. They are proper contenders. They are going to cause us a lot of trouble. Their status within the group is not important, the only important thing is to know how we will be able to beat them.”

On the Portuguese offensive potential:

“This team only took 29 goals from Denmark, so it is not fair. Portugal are really a balanced team. They have the two brothers (Francisco and Martim Costa), who are very explosive players, they bring a lot of freshness in modern handball and it’s a great thing.

“So, of course, our defence will be one of the keys in the game. But this is an area where we are usually quite good. One of the other keys will also be to be good on quick plays, to be more fluid offensively. We had some good sequences yesterday night, but the Danish side put a lot of pressure on us and we had some problems coping with it.”

Ludovic Fabregas (FRA) – line player

On Thursday’s defeat by Denmark:

“We are not used to losing, there was some frustration regarding the result. We had the right attitude on the court, we played a good game but we were not fresh enough physically in the last quarter. We are disappointed with the result but we put the right ingredients in.

“It’s interesting for the rest of the competition. I don’t know what I will say to my teammates tomorrow, but of course, we don’t lose often. With the one yesterday, we have only lost two games within a year.”

On the game against Portugal on Saturday:

“They play fast, with some incredible players like the Costa brothers, who play both for 60 minutes. Both teams are quite similar in the regard that we play fast. There is a lot of ambition on our side, because we want to start another series.”

On how to handle the Costa brothers, Martim and Francisco:

“You know they are going to score five or six goals, no matter what, and you have to accept that. But in the meantime, we also know that if we manage to contain them, we will not be far away from the victory. They have a lot of experience with Portugal and with Sporting in the Champions League as well.

“They are different, Martim is tougher while Kiko is a little bit around the defence, but they play a lot together. They can play with their line players, they can shoot for far away, they are really hard to read. But stopping them will be one of the keys if we want to win.”

On the importance of the victory against Portugal in the bronze medal game at the 2025 World Championship:

“It will be a founding moment only if we win something at the EURO. Through the 20 or so games that we have lived together since, we showed some very interesting things. This win and this bronze medal helped our team grow up in so many ways. Since then, we have had a lot of interesting moments and we have gained a lot of confidence as a team.”

Elohim Prandi (FRA) - left back

On his game on Thursday:

“It was a catastrophe, basically. I am very aware of this, everyone expects more than this from me. I ask myself enough questions to know that I was not up to the expected level. There is a lot of frustration, I have the impression I could not help the team as I would have liked.

“I was not caught by the event, because that’s really what I like. But I feel like I can’t find the rhythm that I have with my club. I have no excuse. But now, this game is behind me, I have to turn towards the next game, which is already tomorrow.”

On all the games being important:

“We can’t count on the other teams to help us out, we want to win all the games to qualify. We will play tomorrow against Portugal, which is a very strong team and had an amazing game against Denmark.

“We played them in 2020 already at the EURO, but they are completely a different team. They have a lot of new players, like the Costa brothers, like Salvador Salvador but also some with more experience. But the new ones already have a lot of experience with their clubs. The games we played against each other in the past do not give me any indication on what the game tomorrow will be.”

On defending against Francisco Costa:

“It’s a little bit like defending against Mathias Gidsel. He’s is a really energetic player, he can feel the game. He is drawn to the game, you can’t let him go. Even though you catch him, he is still able to find solutions and spaces. He plays a lot with his brother, but not only. It will be a tough fight for me and Dylan (Nahi) but I know how I can defend. I will be on the lookout for 60 minutes to try and stop him the best I can.”

GERMANY

Rune Dahmke (GER) – left wing

On Norway’s strengths:

“Norway have very strong wings, especially August Pedersen. On top of that, Sander Sagosen, Tobias Grøndahl and Patrick Anderson play very well in the backcourt at times. We need to start the match aggressively in defence.”

On his brother-in-law Sander Sagosen:

“If I only knew him as an opponent on the court, I don’t know whether he would be my first choice in the group of friends — but I didn’t really have much of a choice because of our wives (sisters Stine and Hanna Oftedal). 

"To be serious: he’s a really great guy. We played together in Kiel for a few years, which was a lot of fun, and we still miss him in the dressing room.”

On the family group chats when Germany play Norway:

“We have two family chat groups, one German and one Norwegian. Norway is a proud country — if we win, they would congratulate us, but with a bit less enthusiasm.”

Franz Semper (GER) – right back

On how the group could finish:

“We do look at the table from time to time, but you also know where you stand. It’s a very simple calculation: if we win two more matches, we’re in the semi-finals; if we win all our matches, we’re guaranteed in first place. So we approach every game with the aim of winning it, and then we’ll see what comes next.”

On the match against Portugal:

“We were only sure that we had won when we scored the final goal. A game is only over after 60 minutes, and if you win by two goals with the last one scored in the final second, you can only be certain after the full 60 minutes.”

On the next opponents, Norway:

“We expect Norway like any other opponent. In this group, anyone can beat anyone. There could still be some very wild scenarios.”

On Norway’s star player Sander Sagosen:

“Just as you don’t focus only on Mathias Gidsel when playing Denmark, you don’t focus only on Sander Sagosen when playing Norway — you look at everyone. Handball is a team sport; you can’t concentrate on just one player.”

On their confidence after four points:

“We haven’t played our best handball, but we beat a team that had defeated Denmark two days earlier. That’s why we’re going into the next matches with a lot of confidence.”

SPAIN

Alex Dujshebaev (ESP) – right back

On how they recovered mentally after the loss against Norway:

“It’s been tough because I think we had a really great game, and I still think we deserved to take at least a point. But things are as they are, we need to focus on the next game. We have to take the best part of what we had yesterday and the days before, not everything is to be thrown to the bin. There were a lot of good things and it is encouraging.”

On the importance of the game against Denmark:

“It’s a bit of a final for us, we probably won’t have a chance anymore if we lose against Denmark. But it’s going to be a fun game to play, in a full arena, in a cool atmosphere. It’s super exciting but also, we will have nothing to lose in a way. Now is the time to unplug our brain, to play at our maximum, and we will see what happens.”

On the goal Spain had to progress in each game:

“It’s still working to be honest. I think our young players are really good and making a lot of progress. Some of them are starters, some of them have got a lot of playing time. I am sure they will be even more important in the next future and this competition will allow them to gain some experience. On this topic, these games are really important.”

PORTUGAL

Miguel Neves (POR) – centre back

On how they recovered mentally after the loss against Germany:

“I think we see things a little bit differently today and there is not much time to think anyway. The game against France is still as important as the one against Germany yesterday, so were are really ready for tomorrow. We have to keep the game against Germany in the back of our heads, but also we need to move on.”

On the game on Saturday against France:

“I expect a very physical game, a very tough one. France are among the best teams in the world, but we are not afraid. We know our abilities and what we want to do to progress in the competition. It’s important we play good, it’s important we are better offensively than yesterday in order to keep our chances alive.”

On how the victory against Denmark might have boosted Portugal’s confidence:

“It did not change much, actually. We know how much we have grown in the last five or six years, we know that we can beat everyone. We have been able to in the past, and this win against Denmark, in Denmark, was just our last achievement. We have always believed that we could have our chances if we played well.”

On whether the bronze medal game of the World Championship is still on their minds:

“A little bit, I guess, at the back of our heads. We want to win a medal, last year, we could not because we lost against France for the bronze medal game and that still hurts. There might be a little sense of revenge, but in the meantime, this competition is different and we have to remain focus and not let our emotions take the best of us.”

Filipe Monteiro (POR) – centre back

On Thursday’s defeat:

“We tried to focus on ourselves, to play good because we knew that playing against Germany would be a tough game. But I think we missed to many open chances against Andi Wolff. And then we got frustrated, we lost our heads a little bit and we made one or two mistakes that made the game turn. We did a great job but I guess that, this time, the details turned the other way.”

On the importance for Portugal to still have their fate in their hands:

“It’s the most important thing, actually. We know that if we win our last three games, we will have eight points and good chances to progress. We don’t want to be waiting for the other results, just crossing our fingers that this or that team will lose. As long as we can keep our chances in our hands, it will be good for them.”

On the difficulty of playing every two days:

“It’s really hard because you have to put the disappointment aside to bounce back. You can allow yourself to be sad for a couple of hours but then you have to move forward to the next game. It’s completely different to what you are used to in the club. I play in the (EHF) Champions League with Sporting, but it’s different here. You take the breakfast on the day after the game and then, you are already in the preparation of the next fight.”

On his first international competition:

“It’s completely different to the junior competitions I am used to. We play in big arenas, with a lot of people and you can be easily impressed. It’s important to be surrounded by players with experience to help you. But it’s a magic experience, to be able to play against Denmark in Herning, it’s the kind of thing that you dream of as a kid. Of course, I don’t play much, but as a first experience, I really appreciate it.”

 

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