The defending champions are in the quarter-finals. Denmark, who won the World Men’s Handball Championships in 2019 and 2021, advanced to the final eight with a 30-25 win against Egypt on Monday evening.
The Danes controlled a game in which they never trailed the North African champions. Simon Pytlick, the player of the match, and his teammate Mathias Gidsel scored eight goals each. Niklas Landin, meanwhile, ended with 14 saves – 39 percent of the Egyptians’ attempts.
“We played an excellent game. It was a great pleasure. We defended really well for 60 minutes and had an excellent goalkeeper who gave us that extra security blanket,” national team coach Nikolaj Jacobsen told BT.
Had the Danes lost by 12 goals, they would have been eliminated, as Croatia beat Bahrain in their final group game. The result means Denmark finished top of the group and will face Hungary in the next round on Wednesday.
Equalled an impressive record
The win over Egypt means the Danish handball team haven’t lost a match at the World Championships since 2017: a 25-game unbeaten streak equalling the record set by France between 2015 and 2019.
“It’s crazy that in three world championships in a row they haven’t lost a game. That speaks for itself,” TV2’s handball expert Rasmus Boysen claimed.
Since 2019, the Danes have failed to win just twice at the biennial tournament: a draw against Egypt in 2021 that was settled on penalties and a tie against Croatia during this edition. But the last time they lost was against … Hungary, who will be their next opponents!
If Mikkel Hansen’s teammates win against Hungary on Wednesday, they will face either Norway or Spain in the semis. And of course, they’ll set a new record for the longest unbeaten streak, all on their own.
