Post-match flash quotes: group D, 15 January
BERLIN - Comments from Norway head coach Jonas Wille (NOR) and left wing Alexandre Blonz (NOR); Slovenia head coach Uros Zorman (SLO), left back Borut Mackovsek (SLO) and goalkeeper Urban Lesjak (SLO); Poland head coach Marcin Lijewski (POL), line player Kamil Syprzak (POL) and right back Michal Daszek (POL); and Faroe Islands head coach Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen (DEN), goalkeeper Pauli Jacobsen (FAR) and right wing Hákun West av Teigum (FAR) after Poland beat the Faroe Islands 32:28 and Slovenia beat Norway 28:27 in preliminary round group D at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Monday.
NORWAY vs SLOVENIA
Jonas Wille (NOR) - head coach
On the game:
"The win of Slovenia was well deserved. We are disappointed - we wanted at least one point. We felt that we were setting the standards at the start of the game and that we were in a good place. But in the decisive moments in the second half, we did not manage to score. Then we got a bit insecure and Slovenia got the momentum, the confidence and the advantage."
Alexandre Blonz (NOR) - left wing
On what went wrong in the final minutes of the match against Slovenia:
"A lot of things happened in this match, I felt like we had the control over it when we had the chance to get up to comfortable leads, we missed and that's when Slovenia came back in the last 10 to 15 minutes and they had the momentum. We have not performed 100 per cent this championship, we also know that and we need to find a higher level."
On whether the draw against the Faroe Islands and the loss to Slovenia shattered their confidence:
"Of course, it's way much harder to get to the semis with zero points and we need to play and that's it."
Uros Zorman (SLO) - head coach, Slovenia
On the win:
"We knew already before the game that we had to play against Norway, who are always fighting for the medals. Now we are going to the second round with four matches in front of us. We have to stay with two legs on the ground and see what we can do.“
Borut Mackovsek (SLO) - left back
On the game:
"I'm feeling really happy and very proud that we won. It was a big fight, we knew for them it would be important to win, but for us also, as we wanted to go to Hamburg with the maximum of points. We played quite well, our defence and our goalkeeper was very good and you could see Norway couldn't play the way they wanted. Now we can travel, try to rest a little bit and hope that we can keep the same dynamics in the main round."
On the fact that Slovenia are currently riding a wave of confidence:
"It's very important for us, at the moment, we are only talking handball and nothing else among ourselves. All the media and the people around have been supportive and that's great. We are focused, and I feel we can achieve great things.
"It was really important to win, not only for the points but also to be in a good mood. I do think that people will not be too happy in Hamburg when they play against us because we are playing very good at the moment."
Urban Lesjak (SLO) – goalkeeper
On being chosen as Player of the Match and the performance against Norway:
"First of all, I am proud of my team and we are happy and satisfied with this win. It is very important that we bring two points with [in the main round] and we will do everything that we can to bring more points on our account and at the end of next week, we will see."
On whether the win against Norway will enhance their confidence to go far:
"Every win is a boost for us, especially when you play against a better-ranking opponent that will surely bring something special. I would like to say that we would celebrate for half an hour and then we will start to think about opponents, and I don't want to sound too euphoric because when are having a good day we can play anyone, but when we don't we have problems."
POLAND vs FAROE ISLANDS
Marcin Lijewski (POL) - head coach, Poland
On the win:
"I think it was a good game for the crowd today with a lot of entertainment. I am happy that we could stand up from the ground. It was not easy to get up this morning and prepare for the game. We knew, that we could play better."
Kamil Syprzak (POL) - line player
On the game:
“It was a pleasure to play this game, even though we were already eliminated. As a professional player, you train to play this kind of game. It was really important for us to win it, as it is way more pleasurable to go home with a win and a small smile on your face. This has been a tough EURO, losing the two first games but we are in a new cycle, it’s a new team and the mentality will hopefully change a little bit in the future.”
On Poland meeting (or not) their expectations:
“We did not, we came here to win the three games. We did not play our best handball in the first two games, today was a little better. We have to look at our individual performances and everyone must give a little bit more. It is a pride to represent your country, you have to go the extra mile when you are wearing this jersey. I don’t feel like we did it too much during the EURO, sadly. But we will do everything it takes to be better in the future.”
Michal Daszek (POL) - right back
On the game:
“We wanted to do our best after losing our first two games, even though we were out. Today, our defence was a little bit better than it was in the other games. It was really was the key for me, that we were able to stop their offensive players, especially in the second half. And we would also feel that they were a little bit more tired than us in the last minutes.”
On the competition for Poland:
“We hoped for more than just one win, but we really were bad in defence in the first two games. The last one was much better on that topic, but playing one game is not enough when you want to qualify. There is still a lot of work to do but I feel like we were going the right way in the last game. This is definitely the mentality we have to keep in the future.”
Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen (DEN) - head coach, Faroe Islands
On the game:
"We are disappointed. We are competitive people and like to win when we play. Based on the way we played the first two games, we had our hopes to win. Today Poland was back to their normal level with for example [Szymon] Sicko and [Kamil] Syprzak. We were afraid that Poland might be the biggest hurdle for us.
"It was two completely different teams playing each other. They have top players from Kielce and Paris and men played against boys. It was 26:26 and we were not so far away, but unfortunately, they played their best game against us. Hats up to Poland - as we say in Denmark."
On the future of the team:
"We found our way of playing especially in terms of speed and seven against six players. Now we need to defend better. Other nations saw how difficult it was to play against the Faroe Islands. We have a young team with an average age of only 22 and there is more to come, no doubt about it.“
Pauli Jacobsen (FAR) – goalkeeper
On the loss against Poland and how did he see the match from between the posts:
"It was a very difficult game to play in goal because with so many free shots in the middle and them shooting every time from a distance, it was Sicko and he was amazing, it was very hard to save the ball, but I just feel that they won in on the physique and the one-on-one, a little bit like Slovenia and we have to work on that."
On whether they feel proud after the Men's EHF EURO 2024:
"Our head is held high because our goal was to qualify at first and we qualified, then tried to get through the group and we proved that we can. We are a young team and everybody is very motivated even after the Men's EHF EURO 2024 to go for the next one."
On whether this is the moment that changes the Faroese handball forever:
"We hope. It makes it all possible not only in handball but in all sports that we can qualify if we believe in ourselves."
Hákun West av Teigum (FAR) – right wing
On his performance at the Men's EHF EURO 2024:
"I don't usually talk about my performance, I can say that the fans and the team helped a lot as I'm only a wing player and I'm a little bit dependent on my team and they make it easy for me to play and to stay motivated. But looking at it as a team, it was a great learning process for us definitely and perhaps we didn't get the result we wanted today, but the tournament as a whole, was a success. "
On the loss against Poland:
"Even though winning today would have put us in a very good position at the next qualifying round for the next championship, it is still a proud and successful moment for us as a nation.
