Denmark took control in the last third of the game and led 25:20 as the final 10 minutes began, after a reasonably tight match that saw them with an advantage of a few goals more than once but also unable to cast Germany off completely until the end stages.
The Grundfos Player of the Match award went to Denmark goalkeeper Anna Kristensen, who made 17 saves at a rate of 46 per cent.
GROUP II
Denmark vs Germany 30:22 (15:13)
- an incredible start from goalkeeper Anna Kristensen, which saw her make spectacular saves against the first two shots that came her way, spurred Denmark to an early lead — 4:1 in the eighth minute
- after being out due to illness up to this point in the EHF EURO 2024, Viola Leuchter, nominee for the IHF Young Player of the Year in 2023, stepped on court for the first time and delivered three goals for Germany
- in the first half, Denmark last had a three-goal advantage at 7:4 in the 15th minute, then three consecutive goals from Germany levelled the game two minutes later
- despite seven saves from Kristensen at a rate of 44 per cent in the 20th minute, Germany took the lead for the first and only time in the first period at 9:8, but Denmark reclaimed the upper hand and had an advantage of two at half-time
- Germany equalised and had the edge through the first minutes of the second half, before Denmark once again took the lead and, by the 45th minute, hit a four-goal advantage, 23:19, after which the outcome became clear
Captains and the 100 EURO goals milestone
New Denmark captain Trine Østergaard hit a big milestone with her goal for 18:18 in the 38th minute — 100 career goals at the EHF EURO. That took Østergaard past second-placed Stine Jørgensen on Denmark’s all-time goals list at the event, and made her only the second Denmark player to reach 100 EURO goals after Anne Mette Hansen did so in the preliminary round. Although she did not score against Denmark, Germany co-captain Emily Bölk is also nearing the milestone, with 95.
Both players are among the most capped for their national teams at the EHF EURO, which is no small feat considering Denmark and Germany have contested every single edition of the event dating to the inception in 1994. Against Denmark, Bölk reached the 40-game mark at the EHF EURO. She waits just outside the top five in history for Germany and will reach joint-fifth on the last main round day, provided she plays both remaining games. Østergaard is the joint-third capped of all time for Denmark, with 41 now, alongside Hansen. They are two behind first-placed Sandra Toft.
The crucial moment was our defence and the goalkeeper Anna Kristensen, they did amazing today. Maybe we conceded too much in the first half, but we adjusted some things. We also bounced back from the defeat two days ago and it was important to prove to ourselves that despite everything, we are good. I am very proud of the performance today.
The difference was that we had to work for all the goals very long, we didn't score from back court and intensity was not effective. So we need to work, work, work, and we did for 40 minutes. We tried to do different things, 5-1, seven-against-six, but the coolness and quality shows us why they are among top three teams. And it shows we need to develop and one day we might be there.
