After a 20-year wait, Denmark are once again the world junior champions, after a dominating performance in the final against Portugal, 29:26. The Scandinavian side has secured their fourth title at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, after the ones in 1997, 1999 and 2005.

FINAL
Portugal vs Denmark 26:29 (10:14)

This was, by all means, an atypical final. The team with the largest number of appearances in the last act of the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, Denmark, were taking on a side which had never qualified in the last act of the competition, Portugal, a side which finished on the podium only once, 30 years ago.

Yet these two sides were here, with both riding seven-match winning streaks on their way to the final, the two unbeaten teams fighting off for the big prize in a winners-takes-all scenario in the Arena GKS in Katowice.

But who would triumph? Denmark’s absolutely otherworldly depth, which was there to be seen in the first half, with nine different players on the scoresheet, or Portugal’s exuberance and desire for their maiden title at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship?

For the first 30 minutes, it was all about Denmark and their well-prepared routine, with the Scandinavian side also taking advantage of their opponent’s woes. Portugal’s nerves were there on display from the first minutes, as a pair of fumbled attacks, with turnovers fueling Denmark fast breaks, saw Denmark take the lead.

Two 3:0 unanswered runs, which saw Portugal fail to score for five minutes and one second and again for five minutes and 29 seconds, set back Portugal and helped Denmark build an 8:5 lead, with their attack firing from all cylinders.

And then there was the issue of Frederik Moller Wolff, Denmark’s goalkeeper, who put on a show in the first 16 minutes, saving six shots for an excellent 50% saving efficiency. While Portugal took two team time-outs in the first 24 minutes, Moller Wolff still continued to do his job, saving two penalties and helping Denmark to open up a six-goal lead, 12:6.
Portugal saw their chances slipping away and realised that their only chance was to protect the ball more and improve their attacking efficiency and the early signs of a comeback were there on display close to the end of the second half, when they cut the lead to only four goals, 14:10.

Yet Portugal had a mammoth task against a very strong Denmark defence, especially as their missed chances – a failed lob from line player Ricardo Brandao, which would have cut the lead to two goals – continued to plague them.

Eventually, Portugal cut the gap to only two goals, 16:14, but once again the sheer number of one-on-one misses plagued them, with Moller Wolff’s efficiency hovering around 45% with 13 minutes to go, after three consecutive one-on-one saves. This enabled Denmark to open a three-goal lead, 21:18, but it still looked like the Scandinavian side did not cut off Portugal entirely.

Constantly flirting with a comeback, Portugal reduced the gap to only two goals multiple times, only for Denmark to bounce back again, led by right wing Magnus Pedersen and centre back Frederik Emil Pedersen, who combined for 14 goals. Yet with seven mintues to go, Portugal were still down by two goals, 25:23, fighting for every single ball.

And when they had the chance to come to a single goal, twice they faced Moller Wolff, who saved another two consecutive one-on-one shots, enabling Denmark to take a three-goal lead, 28:25, with 103 seconds to go, putting Portugal in the toughest possible spot.

A penalty miss did not help, as time was running out and Denmark eventually scored through Frederik Pedersen to seal the win, 29:26, securing their eighth win in eight matches and the title.

A nation which has delivered the champion in the last four editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship has now more reasons to celebrate, as this generation secured their first title after 20 years at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship and the fourth in total, securing the 12th medal in the process.