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.

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.”

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