Denmark bounced back in fashion after their unexpected loss against Japan, sealing a quarter-finals spot, with a clear 32:22 win against Poland.

Main Round
Group III
Poland vs Denmark 22:32 (12:15)

The co-hosts got their campaign at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 derailed by the loss against Japan, with Jesper Jensen’s side now facing a do-or-die match against Poland, with another loss having a devastating potential for their chances in the competition.

Facing Denmark were Poland, a plucky side, which got back to the winning ways in the first match of the main round, 22:21, against Serbia, and were playing their last card, only a win being realistically able to keep them alive before Monday’s last matches of the main round.

But Poland met an excellent resistance from Denmark, who finally improved their attacking efficiency, which failed to materialise against Serbia and Japan, in the first two matches of the preliminary round and main round respectively.

A 78% efficiency in the first half was crucial for Denmark’s hopes, while their defence stretched Poland’s attacks to a 40.7 seconds average, as Arne Senstad’s side had issues in really getting the ball in finishing positions. 

However, in spite of a plethora of mistakes, which saw Poland concede four two-minute suspensions in quick succession, Denmark only had a 15:12 lead at the break, after several turnovers, which hampered Jesper Jensen’s side throughout the whole match, keeping Poland alive several times, in spite of an unexpected off night from captain Monika Kobylinska, who had only one goal from five shots and four turnovers until the 40th minute.

Backed by another excellent performance from their top scorer at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, Kristina Jorgensen, who finished the match with five goals, the co-hosts threw off the second half in superb fashion, a 5:1 run opening the biggest gap in the match, seven goals, 20:13.

Jorgensen was also closely followed in the scorer standings by the hummel Player of the Match, Trine Østergaard Jensen, who also had five goals, as 13 of Denmark’s 14 outfield players had at least one goal under their name, while goalkeeper Althea Reinhardt shined with seven saves for a 41% saving efficiency.

Despite missing three penalties, two of which were stopped by Poland’s goalkeeper, Adrianna Płaczek, Denmark were never in a position to back down and cruised to a 32:22 win, another dominating one, bouncing back in style in the race for a medal at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023.

Denmark now secured a place in the quarter-finals and will have a crunch match against Germany to decide the first place in the final standings, with only a win from the co-hosts helping them leapfrog their rivals.

On the other hand, Poland will face Romania, with the winner of the match finishing on the third place in the standings, which might prove crucial in the race towards the Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

hummel Player of the Match: Trine Østergaard Jensen (Denmark)