Norway were unable to keep their lead against Denmark in the first match of the 5-8 placement round at the Pavillon Municipal de Deportes de Pontevedra, losing for the second time at Spain 2019 to the Danes, following their preliminary group defeat on the opening day.

5-8 Placement Round
Norway vs Denmark 34:40 (22:18)
Pavillon Municipal de Deportes de Pontevedra

Nine goals from Denmark’s Mathias Gidsel were crucial in this match-up between the Scandinavian neighbours for the right to play for 5/6 place at the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship tomorrow. 

Norway’s defence could simply not cope with the right back, who caused havoc in the second half, a half his side went into four goals down (22:18).

Gidsel, who plays his club handball for GOG, scored three inside the first five minutes in the second half to help bring his side back level as part of a 6:1 scoring run, but Norway again went ahead by four just under 10 minutes later (30:26, 44th minute).

The opening day of Spain 2019 had seen these two teams separated by a Nikolai Vinther goal in the last seconds as his Danish side won 32:31, but it was much clearer in the end today for the team who are in Spain as a replacement team for the African continent.

Going into the final five minutes it was all-square (34:34), but Gidsel ensured that his side would not finish eighth, which would have been one of their worst-ever rankings in the competition after 13th (2013), ninth twice (1987, 1995) and eighth (1977).

But Norway had history to fight for too as a fifth or sixth place would have been their second-best ranking and it looked like it could be possible as Denmark’s dangerman Emile Laerke was shown a red card with just a few minutes remaining of the first half after some over-zealous defending which saw the club teammate of Gidsel given his second and third two-minute suspension for the foul and behaviour towards the referees.

The rest of the half saw the Danes down one man thanks to the four-minute suspension and the Norway lead doubled from two (19:17) to four at the break (22:18) with the last two goals coming in very different circumstances. 

Firstly, after the Norwegians could not find a breakthrough in the Danish defence, they resorted to an inflight strike with Sander Lovlie Simonsen setting up Thomas Horneland Boilesen (21:18) and then a loose pass from Denmark’s Mathias Moller being picked up by Sindre Heldal who ran down the whole court to smash into an unguarded Danish net (22:18). Norway's key goalkeeper Emil Kheri Imsgard ended the half with 11 saves.

It all looked like anything other than a Norway victory and the body language of the Danes walking off the court at the break was clear to see, but their coach Stefan Madsen worked wonders in the locker room and they came out renewed and ready to fight.

Imsgard would go on to make just one save in the second half, the only one that Norway made and down the other end they will also look back at  missed opportunities to score, including at 33:33 when three times in a row they peppered the Danish goal, but missed and then hit the crossbar.

“We knew we wanted to be mentally stressed today,” said Madsen to the Danish Handball Federation website. “I could also see it from the sidelines in the first 30 minutes. We were far from as aggressive as we have been in the other games down here. It was 5:5 after just under five minutes, and we had 30 shots against us in the first half, which of course we were not happy with.

“In the second half we came back strongly, and I just have to take off my hat for the boys' gambling and mental comeback in the fight. I have great respect for that.”

Denmark will await the winners of Slovenia vs Tunisia which is next up, for 5/6 place tomorrow, while Norway will play the losers for 7/8 place.

Best Player of the Match: Mathias Gidsel (DEN)