Denmark Eyes Glory Again as Norway Aims for Redemption
As the reigning Olympic and world champions, Denmark is poised to elevate its status in the European Championship, hoping to shed the silver medal from its previous outing. The upcoming finals, set to take place in Herning this January, hold great promise for the team.
Meanwhile, Jonas Wille’s Norwegian squad is eager for a rebound following a disappointing World Cup campaign, which saw them ousted in the main round after suffering two crushing losses in the group stage. In a recent match, they provided a glimpse of their potential, rotating around the stellar play of Sander Sagosen. In an impressive display, Sagosen racked up nine goals and eleven assists, showcasing his vintage prowess.
“It was fine. We had a number of scores, but there were also plenty of technical errors,” Sagosen reflected in an interview with TV 2. “I feel like I’m on the right path, and things will come together. We faced a formidable team and held our ground, but we struggled with our attack. Our movement was lacking, and it turned into too many individual performances.”
On the Danish side, Simon Pytlick shined with nine goals, while Mathias Gidsel contributed eight.
“We had a rocky start, but we managed to turn things around,” Torbjørn Bergerud remarked. “It could have gone south quickly, but the second half was a turning point. We never give up.”
At the half, Norway trailed 13-19, having managed to outscore Denmark in the second half, 20-19.
An Engaging Encounter
Denmark struck first and maintained a slight edge over a tenacious Norwegian team that refused to buckle. The Danish squad briefly stretched their lead to three goals at 8-11, but Norway clawed back to narrow the gap at 12-13 after just over 21 minutes of play.
However, Denmark quickly reasserted control, pushing the advantage to four goals at 13-17. Wille called for a timeout, yet the Danes managed to close the half with two more goals, culminating in a score of 13-19 at the break.
“We are struggling a bit in our attack,” Vetle Eck Aga noted during halftime. “We get stuck too often, and they capitalize on our simple mistakes with counterattacks.”
The second half saw Norway come out revitalized, netting the first two goals after taking advantage of Danish errors. Yet, despite some stellar saves from Bergerud, Denmark soon regained a six-goal lead.
Keeping the Faith
Emil Jakobsen’s free throw extended Denmark’s lead to seven at 19-26 ten minutes into the half. However, a flurry of three consecutive goals for Norway prompted Danish coach Nikolaj Jacobsen to call for another timeout.
For the next quarter, Norway kept the margin tightly contested, narrowing it to just three goals at 31-34 with two minutes remaining. Ultimately, Denmark sealed the match with several scores into an empty net.
Looking ahead, Norway will face off against the Faroe Islands on Saturday and the Netherlands on Sunday. These matches will serve as critical preparation as they gear up for the European Championship in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in January.
