Gidsel's fabulous outing hands Germany historic loss
21 Jan. 2025

The opening day of the main round finished with the highlight match in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, as the rematch of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games saw unbeaten Denmark and Germany face off.
Once again, Denmark proved too strong for Germany, delivering Alfred Gislason's side a 40:30 loss, the largest number of goals conceded by Germany in their history at the IHF Men's World Championship.
MAIN ROUND GROUP I
Denmark vs Germany 40:30 (24:18)
Emil Nielsen started the game in Denmark's goal, David Späth stood between the posts for Germany, but the goalkeepers, who had done well in the previous matches, did not play a big role before the break – and neither did Kevin Møller and Andreas Wolff, who replaced them during the first half.Â
Both sides were fantastic in attack, especially Denmark which scored 10 goals in the 10 opening minutes and 14 goals by the 15th minute. Germany tried hard to keep up with their opponents, against whom they had lost 26:39 in the 2024 Paris 2024 Olympics final, but made more mistakes and had more turnovers, which resulted in Denmark's counterattacks.Â
Powered by the in-form Simon Pytlick and Mathias Gidsel, the reigning champions played at a high tempo and easily broke down the German defense and led 14:9 midway through the first half. After that, they went on to demonstrate their attacking power, hitting the 20-goal mark nearly seven minutes before the break, as Pytlick scored his already sixth goal of the day.
In the opening 30 minutes, the two teams combined for 43 goals, just one fewer than Czechia and Italy had scored during the entire match in the same venue in Herning a couple of hours earlier. This was also the largest number of goals conceded by Germany at the break, four more than the previous record, set against Croatia in 2003.
Powered by their home crowd, Denmark boasted a 80% shot efficiency before the break, and Germany, which stood at a decent 75%, trailed by six goals.
Rasmus Lauge, who had missed two games due to an abdominal muscle injury, was back on court in this match, and he scored both Denmark's last goal before the break and their first goal in the second half. But as Wolff started to make an impact and Julian Köster scored a couple of coals, Germany showed their determination to make a comeback, slashing the gap to 22:26.
However, the Scandinavian side answered with a 3:0 run and went on to have the upper hand, even if their attack efficiency somewhat dropped compared to the first half. With 10 minutes to go, Denmark led 33:26, and they ultimately passed the 40-goal mark, cruising to a well-deserved win, as Germany conceded 40 goals for the first time in history at the IHF Men's World Championship.Â
Gidsel made a special impact at Denmark, as he scored 10 goals and made 11 assists, while Pytlick ended the match with eight goals. Kevin Møller also did well in the second half and recorded nine saves throughout the game for a 36% saving rate. For Germany, Köster and Timo Kastening became top scorers with six goals each.
Denmark, which now have six points, will face Czechia in their next game on Thursday, and on the same day, Germany will meet Italy in a pivotal match, as both teams are now level on four points.Â
hummel Player of the Match: Mathias Gidsel (Denmark)